Favor For A Friend?
by Ashluver505
Summary: Ash and Co. end up passing through Veilstone City on their way to the Sinnoh League and finally learn the truth behind Paul's attitude. When Paul's parents come into town, Ash decides to help his rival...Paul doesn't seem too happy about it
1. TruthAnd Boyfriend?

Ok, so people seemed to like my first Comashipping story and I seriously hope you all like this one as well. I'm not sure how many chapters this one will have but probably at least seven. That way it will take place over a whole week. Anyways, not sure how this idea came to me, but I wanted to try it out. Hopefully I can get some comedy in this story…if not, oh well.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything

Favor For A Friend? 1: Truth and...boyfriend?

"Come on! I don't want to be stuck out here another day! I need a hot bath!" Dawn yelled at her two male companions who were dragging behind.

Ash, Dawn, and Brock had been out in the forest for now two weeks and the long trip had taken its toll on all of them, Pokémon included, but mostly to Dawn since she wasn't as used to being outside for as long. She had grown very irritable, especially since Team Rocket's latest attempt at catching Pikachu had gotten them further behind than they already were. They had finally reached the outskirts of a city and Dawn was so excited to get indoors.

"Geez, why does each of the female companions we travel with obsess over a bath?" Ash asked the breeder as they tiredly followed the coordinator.

"It's just female hygiene I guess. They don't like being dirty too long or they act like well...how Dawn's acting."

"Now guys!" They heard her yell as they were entering the city. People turned to look at them. Ash and Brock flushed.

"Remind me, whenever Dawn gets her shower, to hit her for embarrassing us." Ash groaned. Brock chuckled.

"Come on , we don't want to fall behind her anymore. The last thing we want is for her to freak on us and yell in front of the whole center." Brock said. Ash nodded and the two took off towards their insane friend.

When the trio entered the Pokémon center with of course, Pikachu and Piplup, they noticed two things right away. One: it was very crowded, and two: Reggie was at the front desk helping Nurse Joy. The three smiled in delight when they saw him and ran forward to greet the breeder.

"Reggie!" The trio called out as they got to the front desk. The purple haired boy turned around and smiled when he saw the familiar faces.

"Hey guys!" He greeted. "How are you?"

"Tired." Dawn answered quickly. "We've been in the forest for like two weeks straight and it's been exhausting."

"I bet. Unfortunately, there isn't much room here at the Pokémon Center due to the Champions Conference this week." Reggie said.

"Champions Conference?" The three chorused.

"Right. The four dragon champions of each region's Elite Four member group are coming here to have a meeting. You guys didn't know?" Reggie explained then asked. They shook their heads. "Then what are you doing here in Veilstone?"

"Passing through." Ash answered. "We wanted to travel around training before the Sinnoh League started."

"Oh, so that means you have all eight badges right?" Reggie questioned.

"Yup!" Ash replied happily. He showed him his badges.

"You're final one's from Sunnyshore. Interesting."

"Why's that interesting?" Dawn asked.

"Well I know that Volkner has given up battling. He just hands the badges out now."

"That was the case but Ash didn't want to just receive the badge so he battled Flint who was there and Volkner watched and decided to battle Ash. Team Rocket showed up and ruined their first match so we waited for Volkner to fix the city and after the Grand Festival to go back and battle him. We just left before heading around here." Brock explained.

Ash nodded. "And then it's off to the Sinnoh League!"

"Pika pika!" Pikachu chirped.

Reggie chuckled. "Sounds like you're excited."

"You bet I am! We're going to win the while thing, right Pikachu?"

"Chu!" Dawn and Brock smiled.

"Well just remember you're going to have to beat my brother." He told him.

Ash smirked. "Oh I have a plan for Paul. No problem."

"Plan?" Brock, Dawn, and Reggie inquired.

Ash nodded. "No worries. You'll see what I mean in the league. I have no doubt we'll be battling."

Reggie nodded. "Sounds like you're confident."

Ash nodded. "I am."

"Well like I said, it's pretty crowded here. Why don't you three stay in our guest house?" Reggie offered. "Paul never cares to go in there so he won't care."

"Wait, Paul's here?" Ash asked.

"Yes. He's been training hard here for the past few weeks. Getting stronger by the day." Reggie replied. "But since our guest house is open, you guys would be better off staying out there."

"You don't have to do that for us, Reggie." Brock said.

"Nonsense. You guys are friends. I didn't offer when I first met you guys because I didn't know you too well but I do now. I'd love for you guys to stay there and you're more than welcome to stay until the Sinnoh League. I'm taking Paul up there and I wouldn't mind taking you guys as well."

"I'm not sure how Paul will feel about that or us staying." Dawn said.

Reggie shrugged. "Don't mind him. As soon as this thing with our parents blows over he'll be his old self. And I mean a happy social able Paul, one you three haven't seen yet."

"Wait, Paul actually has a nice side?" Dawn asked.

Ash lightly hit her before turning to the breeder. "What thing with your parents?"

Reggie chuckled. "Why don't I explain over lunch? I know a great place and then you guys can come and stay at our place."

"We don't want to be trouble." Brock said. Ash and Dawn nodded.

"No trouble. I promise." Reggie reassured them with a smile. "Now come on. I'm done here in the center for today and couldn't be hungrier. Let's go." The trio nodded and followed Reggie out the door after he waved to Nurse Joy who waved back signaling he was ok to leave.

Reggie led the trio through the city and to a small café. The group went inside, got a table, and ordered their food. "So, what's this thing with your parents?" Ash questioned after the waiter left.

"Oh, it's uh, a deal sort of. Well not really." Reggie said. "You see, my dad works for a company in Tokyo and has for years. When he was on a trip here in Veilstone years ago, he met my mother. He decided to stay for a long while and they got married and had us. After I was 8, and Paul was 3, he left to go back to work and only came down during holidays. Two years later I went on my Pokémon journey and left Paul with mom. He started five years after me and traveled with me for about a year until I battled Brandon at the Kanto Battle Frontier. I went home and he stayed on his journey.

I then started my breeding and got paid extremely well so my mom left to go work with my dad in Tokyo. After three years of Paul traveling, he only entered one competition and only got into the best 32. Our parents were pretty disappointed and made it very clear to Paul. They got into a huge fight and my parents said if he couldn't get a career in Pokémon in the next three years, he had to move to Tokyo and work with them. And three years will be next year."

"That's why he works so hard at training." Ash said now finally understanding.

Reggie nodded. "The same reason why he works his Pokémon so hard. It's also why he doesn't try and get friends."

"Because he thinks they'll slow him down?" Brock asked.

"No, because if he does have to move, he doesn't want anything to tie him here. He doesn't want the pain along with moving away from people he gets close to. That's why he puts up the arrogant front you three see. Also why he doesn't want to be friends with his Pokémon either. If he moves, our parents won't take them with them."

'Oh my gosh, I can't believe Paul's parents would do that...' Ash thought. "Couldn't Paul just leave?" He asked.

"He could, but our parents said they'd disown him and he wouldn't get any inheritance. And together they have a multi-million dollar inheritance for us." Reggie explained.

"Wow, that's a lot." Dawn said.

"Yes it is. But it's more that Paul doesn't want to be on his own. I'd never disown him as my brother but whether you can see it or not, he likes being part of the family. He loves our parents, he just hates how hey treat him."

"Understandable." Brock commented.

"The problem is, if our parents saw that he had friends or a boyfriend or girlfriend...if he had a social life, they'd never make him move. Paul just can't see it. If he did, I bet you he would be friends with you." Reggie told Ash whose eyes widened. "You two have the same dream and that is a huge connection he likes in his friends...err liked, in his friends."

Ash looked down and smiled a bit. "Me and Paul friends...I could see that." Ash said.

"Well if you keep running into him, you may be able to see that in real life. But I will tell you this up front." Ash looked at Reggie. "I can tell you have a self- sacrificing personality and I know you do a whole lot for other people. But if you dare go easy in the league on him, he will lose all the respect he has for you, so you better take it as hard as you can on him."

Ash nodded. "No problem. I'm winning no matter what, I just wish there was a way to help him."

"I wish there was too. Believe me, I know you'd be a great friend for him, maybe even more than just friends." Reggie ended telling him with a wink. Ash flushed and both Dawn and Brock laughed. But that thought entered his mind. 'Maybe being Paul's boyfriend wouldn't be so bad...' He thought.

Just then their food came. During lunch, they laughed and talked and caught up with each other. When they were done eating, though it took convincing on Reggie's part, Reggie paid for the meal and they left. As they were walking, Reggie got a call in his cell.

"Hey Mom." He said into the phone. "No, Paul's at home. Or, he was. He may be out training right now I guess...No, the league starts in 2 months." Reggie's face got pale. "Right, right now? But, his time's not up. He's supposed to have another year." Reggie quickly said. "Wait, Mom!" Reggie groaned as he closed his phone.

"What's wrong?" Brock asked.

"My parents are here. Apparently there's a job opening where they work in Tokyo and they want him to move...like next week." Reggie explained looking extremely irritated.

"But he's not supposed to go anywhere!" Ash exclaimed. "He can't go! The league's going to start soon!" Reggie, Brock, and Dawn were surprised at how defiant he was. "That's too unfair!"

"I know. We have to get to the house before Paul does so I can talk to them. Let's go." Reggie said. The trio nodded and the four ran to the house. When they got there, they saw inside both Paul and Reggie's parents. They heard Paul question why they were there.

"This is not good." Reggie said. He then sighed.

"What do we do? We can't let them take him can we?" Dawn asked.

"I wish there was something we could do." Reggie said.

"Hey Reggie." Ash said.

"Yea?"

"You said your parents wouldn't take Paul if he had a boyfriend right?" Ash asked.

"Well yea...they won't take him from someone like that."

"Ok, do you think Paul will forgive me for being nice?"

"For being nice? I guess...why are you asking this?" Reggie questioned.

"Because I'm not letting them take Paul without trying to fight it." Ash said. The other three looked confused. "Can we enter?" Reggie nodded. Ash ran to the door and into the house. The others followed.

"That's not fair!" Paul yelled. "I still need time! I don't want to do some office job!" Paul was extremely angry.

"Sweetheart, you just don't have what it takes to be a trainer or deal with Pokémon. This is the best opportunity you have." His mother told him. His father nodded.

"I don't want an office job! And you haven't even seen the way I battle! I'm twenty times better than I ever was!" Paul yelled.

"Paul, we wouldn't be so against letting you stay if you had a social life but you don't." His father said. Paul didn't get to say anything because just then the front door opened. Paul and both his parents turned to see Ash enter with a smile on his face. Paul's eyes widened, extremely surprised.

"Ash!" He exclaimed.

"Hey Paul!" Ash said happily. "I've been looking all over for you! You promised me we were going on that date." Ash said with a smile as he walked up to him.

Paul blinked. "Date?" He questioned raising an eyebrow.

"Don't try and play stupid, Paul." Ash said with a playful glare. He then wrapped his arms around Paul's right arm. "You did promise remember?"

"What!" Paul exclaimed completely perplexed. He was pissed at his parents and didn't need this humiliation right now.

"Who are you?" Paul's father asked.

Ash turned to them. "Oh, you must be Paul's parents." Reggie, Dawn, and Brock had just entered the house from the back door and walked through the kitchen behind Paul's parents. Ash held out his hand for it to be shaken. "It's nice to finally meet you. I'm Ash Ketchum, Paul's boyfriend."

Yay, first chapter done! I'm already finishing up the second chapter as well so I should post that one tomorrow or the next day. Hopefully you all like the beginning. 


	2. The Favor

Ok peoples, here's the second chapter. I hope you all like it. And wow, thanks for the reviews on the first chapter. I appreciate them. I didn't know it would turn out so well, so thanks a bunch :D Anyways, on the story!

Favor For A Friend? 2: The Favor

"Boyfriend?" Paul's parents chorused. It then quickly hit Reggie what Ash's plan was. So before Paul had anytime to say anything from his minor shock, Reggie intervened.

"Mom, Dad!" He said happily. The parents turned.

"There's our eldest son!" His mom said. She and his father hugged him. Brock and Dawn still stood behind them, just realizing Ash's plan. Too bad Paul didn't seem to get it.

"Did you know Paul has a boyfriend?" His father asked. Paul opened his mouth to object, but Reggie was too quick.

"Yes I did. Isn't it great? Ash has been great for him." Ash face-palmed as Paul started to look like he was going to yell. "Paul, why don't you go show Ash that new thing you were going to show him in your room?" Everyone looked at him. When their parents turned, Reggie mouthed 'just go with it' and Ash got the message.

He grabbed Paul's hand and started dragging him off towards his room. "Yea Paul, you said you were going to show me." Paul, who was still absolutely confused, allowed Ash to drag him off to his room.

When they entered, Ash let go of his hand and turned to his very angry rival. Ash swallowed nervously. "What is going on? You better start talking right now." He threatened.

"Shhh, keep your voice down!" Ash exclaimed in a whisper as he ran forward and shut the door completely. He turned and squeaked as Paul grabbed the front of his shirt.

"Start talking, Ketchum..." He glared at the raven-haired trainer.

"Reggie explained to us over lunch why you worked so hard. That you know, you're parents were going to make you move and he said that if you had a boyfriend, they wouldn't make you move back. When we were on our way back here, Reggie got a call from your mom and said that they were going to make you move before you were had a chance to show them how great of a trainer you really are and I didn't want you to move so I thought I'd help you out." Ash explained in a hurry.

"Help me out? By being my boyfriend!" Paul questioned angrily while gripping Ash's shirt tighter.

"Help you out by ACTING as your boyfriend." Ash corrected. "I don't like the idea of being your real boyfriend anymore than you do. I thought I'd just help you out."

Paul groaned and let go of Ash. He turned around, obviously steamed at the idea. "You don't have to take my offer if you don't want to. You're welcome to tell your parents otherwise and then you can move before you get a chance to battle in the Sinnoh League. Something you've worked for all year is just going to go down the drain."

Paul groaned again. "Why are you helping me?"

"Because I want to. I don't like the idea of having my dreams just ripped away from me and I know that you don't either." Ash explained.

Paul then remembered what he said. "Why don't you want me to move?" He asked, his back still facing his rival.

"Huh?" Ash questioned.

"You said you didn't want me to move...,why?" Paul asked. "I figured you'd love the chance to get rid of me. One less person to beat in the Sinnoh League."

"What's the point of entering the league if my biggest rival, the one person who I've yet to defeat, isn't even going to be there? I've been looking forward to our battle. I want to battle you in the league." Ash explained. Paul sighed. "Look, we don't have to be a close couple or anything-"

"That's the thing, we will have to act like a close couple. My parents probably won't make me move if I'm close to you. Problem is, if I was close to you, I'd know everything about you, and vise versa. We hardly know anything about each other. And if you're 'my boyfriend', my parents will want to take us out to dinner and get to know you. I can't exactly explain how we're close if I don't know about you."

"I know more about you than you think. Your brother has told us some things. And if they ask questions I can answer them right?" Ash told him.

"I suppose..." Paul was quiet for a few moments.

"Paul?" Ash asked. He put his hand on his shoulder. Paul tensed but didn't remove his hand. "I don't mind helping you, I just need to know you want it."

"I-I don't know what I want." Paul said.

Ash looked sympathetically at his rival and before Paul knew what happened, Ash turned him around and gave him a hug. Paul completely tensed at first but after a moment, relaxed. He couldn't believe he was doing this, but Paul wrapped his arms around Ash's lithe body and closed his eyes. He hadn't felt this close a person in years. He sighed. He was about to say he would take Ash's help when the door suddenly opened. Paul and Ash broke away from each other instantly, blushes covering their faces as Paul's parents and Reggie (with Pikachu in his shoulder) entered.

"Aw, aren't you two just so cute!" His mother said.

Paul's dad chuckled while Reggie looked at Paul who slightly nodded.

"Why didn't you tell us you had a boyfriend? And such a cute one at that?" His mother asked. Ash instantly flushed and Paul had to chuckle at his expression.

"Yes Paul, why didn't you tell us?" His father inquired.

Ash looked at Paul who was struggling to come up with an answer. "We've only been dating for only a couple of months and we didn't want to tell many people if it didn't seem like it a was going to work. After all, we're not just boyfriends, we're rivals too. We're both entering the Sinnoh League in two months and we both really want to win." Ash answered for him.

"Well that's interesting. So that's how you two met? By your training?" His mother asked.

Paul smirked being able to answer this question easily. "We met the very first day Ash came to Sinnoh. He-" His mother cut him off.

"First day in Sinnoh?" She questioned.

Ash nodded. "I'm from Pallet Town in the Kanto region."

"Pallet Town; isn't that where the famous Professor Oak lives?" His father asked.

"Yes sir. I actually got my Pikachu from him."

Paul's dad was obviously impressed with the manners. "So you've met him personally then, very cool."

"Well actually, I know him personally. My grandfather is his best friend, my dad is his son's best friend, and his grandson, Gary Oak, is my best friend and my very first rival. I've known Professor Oak my whole life." Ash explained.

'I didn't even know that.' Paul thought. "Wow, that's amazing. I bet you learned a lot from him." Paul's mother said.

"Yes m'am. He was a very good teacher. His teaching is what got me interested in Pokémon in the first place."

"Very cool." His father said. He turned to Paul. "Sorry son, you were saying?"

"Oh, uh, Ash and I had a battle that very first day and we got a draw. I was very interested in him since that moment and then we've met up periodically over the past year and a half so we just," He looked at Ash. "Ya know."

"Aw, so sweet." His mom said. "I'm glad you've found someone to understand you Paul." The trainer nodded.

"I don't think we've introduced ourselves." Paul's dad told Ash. "I'm Steve and this is Laura." He said holding out his hand for Ash to shake.

"Oh, it's very nice to meet you." Ash said happily, taking his hand and shaking it. He then shook Laura's hand.

"I'm impressed Paul. You got a very nice young man here. Very nice manners." Steve said. Ash lightly blushed and Paul smirked. 'This could be fun after all.' He thought.

"Well we would like the chance to get to know you. Why don't you come eat with us tonight?" Laura suggested. Paul gave a side 'I told you so' glance.

"I'd love to." Ash said with a smile.

"Very good. Reggie told us he offered your friends the guest house and they are more than welcome to stay out there for as long as they like." Steve said.

"Oh thank you very much." Ash said. "I'm sure they appreciate it. I know I do."

Paul inwardly groaned at the idea. "Alright, why don't we go get our stuff out of the car, Dear?" Laura asked. He nodded.

"You two could go out on that date if you two want." Steve said to the 'couple'. Both looked confused.

Then realization hit Ash. "Oh right! You said you were going show me around today. Why don't we go do that and talk?" Ash suggested to Paul.

"Sounds good." He replied with a small, fake smile.

"Very good, let's go." Laura told her husband. The two walked out of the room.

Paul dropped the smile and groaned. Reggie and Ash looked at each other. "Well, you two have gotten off on a good start." Reggie said.

Pikachu jumped into Ash's arms. "Yea...how long do I have to do this again?" Paul questioned his brother.

"They'll be gone by the end of the week." He answered.

Paul nodded and he turned to Ash. Ash looked at him. Paul sighed. "Thank you." He said. "I guess I owe you something."

"You don't owe me anything. I'm glad to help you." Ash told him. Paul slightly smiled.

"Now listen, to make this work, you two are going to have to put your rivalry on hold. One week and you two can go back to yelling and arguing all you want." Reggie told them with a smile. The two laughed and Reggie smiled. "Alright, you two are going to have to disappear for a few hours so Paul, why don't you two go train?"

Paul's eyes widened. "Like, together?" He questioned. He glanced at Ash. Reggie nodded. "Haha, no." He then turned to Ash. "I appreciate the help, I really do, but no. I won't train with anyone else."

Reggie looked as if he was going to argue but Ash stepped in. "It's cool. No problem." He turned to the breeder. "Paul and I are rivals and training together isn't something we can really do. And it's fine. I have to get to the Pokémon Center and call Professor Oak and let him know we'll be staying in Veilstone for the next week anyways."

This confused Paul. "You just call Professor Oak whenever you want?"

"Well, yea. Like I said, I've known him my whole life. He thinks of me as a second grandson. He likes me to call and update him with my progress and the things I'm doing." Ash answered.

"Interesting." Paul commented.

"Well alright, but both of you be back here by six. We'll probably leave about 6:15." Reggie told them.

The two nodded and followed Reggie outside. "Reggie, where are Dawn and Brock?" Ash questioned.

"I'll show you." He said to Ash. He then turned to Paul. "You going to train?"

"Yes, I'll be back later." Paul told both of them and left. Reggie shook his head and showed Ash where the guest house was around the back of their house.

"You sure you know what you're getting into?" Reggie questioned.

"Nope." Ash said with a smile. "But I want to help him. I have no doubt this will be probably the most difficult week of my life, but I'm happy to help." Ash said.

"Well, thanks, and good luck." Reggie told him as he opened the door to the guest house.

"Thanks, I'm sure I'll need it." Ash told him. Reggie nodded.

"See you later tonight."

"Ok." Ash said and walked in. Reggie closed the door behind him.

Ash walked into the living courters of the guest house and saw Brock and Dawn sitting on a couch talking.

Brock looked up when he entered. "So the boyfriend returns." The breeder joked.

"Haha, very funny Brock." Ash said as he sat down on a chair.

"Why in the world did you do that? Why help Paul?" Dawn questioned.

"Because I know what it feels like to have your dreams ripped away from you. I don't want Paul to have to go through that. No one deserves it." Ash explained.

"But still…..being Paul's boyfriend? I wouldn't be able to manage it." Dawn said.

"First off, it's acting. Second off, that's the difference between us. I can put my feelings aside to help someone….to help anyone. It doesn't matter what they do, as long as I can help, I'll help." Ash replied. Dawn shrugged.

"Well I, for one, am very proud of you, Ash. Helping Paul out even with your bad history is very noble of you. But I am going to say good luck. You'll need it." Ash nodded. "I just hope this whole thing works out for the two of you."

"Me too, Brock, me too."

Ooh yay, second chapter is done. I hope it's as good as the first. I liked the beginning but I'm not sure how the ending turned out. Hopefully I can get the third chapter done. I already know what I want to happen so we shall see. The fourth chapter I'm still working out details for. I'm not quite sure what I want to happen yet, but I know I'll come up with something. Anyways, thanks again for the reviews and I hope you all like this next chapter.


	3. Ash's Past

Here's chapter three! Yayness. Now this chapter will show Ash's past and let Paul and family learn more about him. I figured this is a vital part of Ash and Paul getting to know each other. So here ya go.

Favor For A Friend? 3: Ash's Past

"So Ash, tell us about yourself." Steve said as the waiter who had taken their orders left to place the order. At 5:45, Paul showed up at the Pokémon Center where Ash was at a table, planning out strategies for the Sinnoh League. Ash and Paul then walked in silence back to the house, where Reggie, Steve, and Laura were waiting for them to leave for dinner. Ash quickly dropped Pikachu with Brock and Dawn at the guest house the group left for the restaurant. For the first few minutes, Reggie told his parents about how the business was going, while Paul and Ash stayed silent. The waiter then came and Steve decided it was time to learn about son's boyfriend.

"Um, what would you like to know?" Ash questioned.

"Well, how have you liked traveling so far? You've been on the road I guess about five years now, like Paul has." Steve asked.

"Oh well actually I've been on the road for almost seven years now, but I love it." Ash answered.

"Seven years?" Laura questioned. Steve, Reggie, and Paul all looked surprised as well. Paul masked his surprised by taking a drink of his tea.

"I thought trainers started off when they were ten." Steve said.

"They do." Ash replied. He then realized what the family thought and laughed. "I'm sixteen. I'll be seventeen this summer." Ash told them. Paul instantly choked on his tea, and started coughing. Ash sweatdropped.

"Sorry, wrong pipe." Paul said when everyone gave him concerned looks.

"Did you know Ash was older than you?" Laura asked her son.

"Um, yes, of course." He lied. He had absolutely no idea Ash was older than him. All he knew about the trainer is what he observed and what he had learned today. He had never taken the time to get to know who he was or what he did in his past. Paul had actually thought Ash was younger than him. He certainly looked like he was.

"Well we apologize, Ash. We thought you were the same age as Paul." Laura said.

"Oh it's quite alright. I know I look a lot younger than I am. It's no problem." Ash told them.

"So what have you been doing the past six years?" Steve asked.

"Well, I started off traveling in Kanto for the Indigo League and after that I headed to the Orange Islands, then Jhoto, then Houen, and finally went back Kanto for the Kanto Battle Frontier before heading over here." Ash told them.

"Really? You've been a lot of places." Laura said. Ash nodded.

"Did you participate in all the leagues in each region?" Steve asked.

"Yes sir." Ash replied.

"What places did you get?" He questioned.

"Well, in the Indigo League, I made it to the top sixteen," Everyone's, including Paul's, eyes widened. "I then won the Orange League and got the champions trophy, then I got in the top eight in both the Jhoto and Houen Leagues, and I won the Kanto Battle Frontier." Ash said.

The whole family dropped their jaws. Ash flushed under their gaze. Paul couldn't believe it. Ash had amazing reputation. "Well, that's quite a reputation you have there, young man." Steve said. Ash nodded. "How in the world did you get all those victories behind you?"

"Oh, well, lots of training." Ash said. "When I went to each region, I caught new Pokémon each time, so I haven't been working with only one specific team throughout my career. And when I came here, I left with only Pikachu and Aipom, who I ended up trading to Dawn since it preferred contests. I've caught a whole new team for each region I travel through and mainly focus on training that team while being in that specific region." Ash explained.

"So I guess your Pokémon are all at Professor Oak's lab in Pallet then." Laura said.

"Yes, except for the few I've let go and the couple I'm letting train with a few other people for right now." Ash answered.

"What Pokémon do you have, Ash?" Reggie asked. He was very curious to what Pokémon helped Ash get such a reputation as a trainer. Paul was also very interested.

"Well, back at Professor Oak's lab, I have a Bulbasaur, Kingler, Muk, Heracross, a shiny Noctowel, Totadile, Cyndaquil, Bayleef, Snorlax, Torkoal, Glalie, Corphish, Donphan, Swellow, and Sceptile. Oh, and of course all my Tauros. I also have a Squirtle who is the leader of the Squirtle Squad in Jhoto region and a Charizard who is living in the Characific Valley, also in the Jhoto region." Ash listed off his fingers.

He glanced at the family and sweatdropped at their expressions. Laura looked at Reggie. "Are all those Pokémon good Pokémon to have?" She asked her eldest.

"Yes, some are very rare." He said looking at his mother. He then turned to Ash. "You caught all of those in the wild?"

Ash nodded. "Yea, some were hard to catch, and some just wanted to come with and train with me."

"Wow." Steve said. He then remembered what Ash said. "What do you mean by all your Tauros?"

"Oh, I have thirty of them." Ash said sheepishly. "I caught them at the Safari Zone in Kanto sort of by accident. The whole herd just runs around at the lab." Ash explained.

"Wow. You certainly have a lot of Pokémon." Laura told him.

"Well, they aren't the only Pokémon I've caught. I've let some go so they would be better off."

"What Pokémon are those?" Reggie questioned.

"Um, I let my Butterfree go so he could be with his mate, I let my Pidgeot go so he could protect a wild flock of Pidgey and Pidgeotto from a flock of Spearow and a Fearow who attacked them. I also let my Primape stay and train to be a P1 Champion, and I let my Lapras go back with his family. I gave my Beedrill to a friend because she liked yellow and black stripped Pokémon and I was traveling with a friend of mine who is afraid of bug Pokémon so I figured it was perfect. I also let my Gliscor train with the air master up in the mountains here in Sinnoh." Ash told the breeder.

"Wow. You let all of those powerful Pokémon go?" Steve questioned. Ash nodded.

"I think a Pokémon should be happy. I trained them for a while and I grew to love them, but I believe if they can be happier somewhere else, who am I to stop them? I know I'll be connected to each of those Pokémon until the day I die, and even though I miss them, I'm glad I could make it to where their life is extremely happy."

"Aw, that's so sweet. You've certainly got yourself quite a catch here, Paul. You better not blow it." Laura told her son.

Paul's eyes widened as Ash's face went bright red. "Um, of course not, Mom. Never going to happen." He said with a fake smile.

"How is it that you actually fell for Paul, anyways?" Steve asked jokingly. Paul rolled his eyes.

Ash laughed a little but answered truthfully. "I know Paul's not the guy everybody thinks he is. I know there's more to him than that, and that the arrogant front he puts up is just a façade." Ash explained. Paul was taken a back. He looked at Ash and saw only truth on his face. There was no lying or pretending in that answer. He was surprised. How did he know?

"So what do your parents think of this relationship?" Laura questioned.

Ash and Paul looked at one another, panicked. "Well, I haven't, exactly, told my mom about it yet. Like I said, we didn't want to tell a bunch of people since we weren't sure how it would work out since we are rivals."

"Oh, so, were planning on telling them?" Steve inquired.

Paul came up quickly with a lie. "Of course." He said. Everyone turned to look at him. "If it came to be that we would be together after the Sinnoh League, Ash was going to take me to Pallet to meet and tell them then. That was also the plan for telling you guys as well." Paul told them. Ash smiled at Paul. Things were obviously getting easier for the younger trainer.

"And you think they would approve of Paul?" Steve questioned.

"Oh yea, my mom would most definitely approve. No sweat." Ash replied.

"And your father?" Steve asked.

"Oh, um," Ash glanced at Paul and Reggie, who both were looking at him, and then looked back to the parents. "Well, my dad's dead. He was murdered when I was almost nine, so I really can't say." Ash said quietly.

Paul and Reggie's eyes widened and they looked at each other. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Ash." Steve said. He glanced at his wife. "We didn't know."

"Oh, ha, it's ok. He was killed for something he believed in and I know that would have been the only way he would have wanted to go, so my mom and I got comfort out of that. And I'm totally cool with it now. It was hard to get over but I'm ok." Ash explained, not wanting to hurt their feelings. He hid the pain in his eyes and lied straight through his teeth. He would never be over his father's death but he would never show it either. He couldn't let his mom know…..he really didn't want to go back into therapy.

"Well I'm still sorry."

"Don't be. It's quite alright." Ash told him with a smile. Steve smiled sadly at Ash. Just then, their food came and broke the awkward silence.

"Well I guess we should dig in." Steve said, changing the subject. Laura asked Reggie to pass the salt and while the three elders were distracted, Paul took Ash's hand in his own and lightly squeezed. Ash looked at him and was surprised to see a sympathetic look on his rival's face. The raven haired trainer slightly smiled to cover the sadness in his eyes, but Paul could see straight through it. He knew that look far too well. He used it to cover his own pain.

For a moment, the two stared at one another, almost connecting, until Laura stepped in. "Paul, would you be a dear, and let me use your steak knife?" Laura asked, her voice cutting through the moment.

The two trainers looked away from each other and at her. "Sure Mom." He said handing his knife to her with the hand not holding onto Ash's. He then realized it was still there and quickly let go of Ash's hand, who just lightly blushed and shrugged it off.

After dinner, the group headed back to the house where a sudden issue came up. "So, I expect you two sleep together." Steve said to the 'couple' as the group entered the house.

Ash and Paul looked at one another panicking. "Yes they do. It's very sweet to look at." Reggie said with a smile. Paul glared at his older brother when his parents turned to look at the breeder. Ash face-palmed. 'What have I gotten myself into?' He thought.

"Ok, well, it's fine by us. Just no funny business going on boys." Laura joked to the trainers. Paul wanted to strangle his parents at the moment for embarrassing him so much in front of Ash. Then a thought occurred to him. 'What do I care? Why do suddenly give a crap about what he thinks about me?' He thought.

Ash flushed. "So, I think we're going to turn in. It's been a long day." Steve said.

"Yes it has. We will see you kids in the morning." Laura said. The three nodded.

Steve and Laura hugged their sons' goodnight and then turned to Ash. "It was very nice meeting you, Ash. I can't wait to get to know you even better." Steve told him, holding out his hand.

"You too, sir." Ash said sincerely, shaking his hand.

"Goodnight you three." Laura said.

"Goodnight." They chorused. Reggie, Paul, and Ash watched with smiles as they walked into their room and closed the door. All three dropped the fake smiles and sighed.

"Well," Reggie whispered to the younger boys. "You guys have gotten off to a perfect start. It looks good."

Paul nodded. He was about to say something to Ash but went silent when he saw the expression on his face. Reggie noticed the sad look as well. Ash noticed their stares and put a smile on his face. "Well I think I'm going to go out to the guest house to sleep too. We've been tired from traveling today."

"Um, Ash, I just told my parents you two slept together. You'll have to sleep with Paul." Reggie said.

Paul groaned and Ash knew he wasn't looking forward to that. "Ok, why don't I just get my sleeping bag and sleep on the floor in Paul's room? Make it easier for the both of us."

Paul liked the idea, but didn't. He didn't want Ash to have to sleep on the floor. 'Wait a sec, why the heck am I suddenly caring about him? This is ridiculous.' Paul thought.

"You shouldn't have to sleep on the floor." Reggie said.

Ash waved his hand. "I've been sleeping on the ground for six years now. Trust me, it's completely fine." Ash told them.

"Well, if you're sure." Reggie said. Ash nodded.

"I'll go get my bag and Pikachu. I'll be right back." Ash told them. They nodded and he walked out.

Paul sighed. He couldn't believe he was actually starting to care about Ash. He felt pathetic. "I can't believe Ash's father is dead. He seems so happy all time…..you think he'd feel sad most of the time instead." Reggie said after a few minutes.

"Yea, it is pretty weird. I can't believe he has such a reputation. I never knew he went to all those leagues…I can't believe he's older than me. He doesn't seem like he is does he?" Paul replied.

"Maybe a little. I actually suspected he was. He seemed to be pretty wise."

Paul arched his eyebrow. "Wise?"

Reggie rolled his eyes. "I mean it seemed like he had been through quite a lot; more than just fourteen years of things." Reggie explained.

Paul was going to say something else but Ash walked back in. The two brothers looked at Ash as he entered, a very sleepy Pikachu in his arms. Ash noticed their stares. "What?" He questioned.

Reggie shook his head. "Nothing. Paul, take Ash to your room and get him set up for the night."

Paul nodded. "Come on." He told Ash. The raven haired trainer followed him.

After about ten minutes of getting things set up, Paul left Ash to get ready for bed. He brushed his teeth, washed his face, and quickly changed into his shorts. Pikachu was already curled up in his sleeping bag. He decided he'd tell Paul he was finished and Reggie goodnight.

He walked out to the living room where Paul was looking through some pictures and Reggie was watching the news. Reggie noticed him when he walked in. "Going to bed now?" He asked. Paul looked up and saw Ash.

"Yea, just wanted to say goodnight." He replied. He then turned to Paul. "I wanted to tell you I was done too." Paul nodded. He closed the album and put it back in it's place.

"Well goodnight then, Ash. Hope you can sleep alright." Reggie said.

"I'll be fine, thanks."

"Alright, well, thanks again, Ash. This means a lot to us you're willing to help." Reggie said.

"No problem. I'm glad to." He told him with a smile. Reggie nodded. "Goodnight." He waved.

"Night, Ash." Reggie said and watched as Ash disappeared down the hall and into Paul's room. "He's a good guy."

Paul nodded. "He is." Reggie looked at his younger brother. "Well, I'm going to go to bed too." Reggie nodded. "Night."

"Goodnight. Oh and Paul?" The younger trainer looked at him. "Tell Ash thanks. He's doing this for you." Paul nodded.

"I know." He then walked down to his bedroom.

Reggie sighed. "I hope those two will be friends at least by the end of this."

Paul opened the door to his room and what he saw surprised him. Ash was quietly laughing while Pikachu licked and nuzzled him. "Pikachu, haha, stop it, that tickles!" Ash exclaimed in a whisper.

"Chu!"

Paul shook his head. How in the world those two were so close, he'd never know. He walked into the bathroom to change and brush his teeth. When he was finished and came back into the room, Pikachu had settled down and Ash was lying on his side petting the electric mouse as it went to sleep.

Ash felt Paul's stare and looked at him. He tilted his head. "What?"

The mauve haired boy realized he was caught staring. He shook his head. "Nothing." Ash shrugged and lay on his back as Paul climbed into his bed.

The two laid in silence for a few moments before Paul had to satisfy his curiosity. "You're not over your father's death, are you?"

Ash sighed. "I never will be." He turned on his side away from Paul.

Paul looked over at him. "And your mom thinks you are?"

"Everyone thinks I am."

"Why lie?"

Ash closed his eyes. "Because I'm not going back into therapy." Ash told him.

Paul's eyes widened. "Therapy?"

Ash sighed and turned to look up at Paul. "I didn't just hear my dad was killed. I was there. I watched the whole thing. He was protecting me." Violet eyes widened even more. "For months I just blamed myself. I kept thinking that if I hadn't of dragged him to the beach that day or I had done something, that he'd still be alive. I was in a depressed state for about two months before my mom put me into therapy. I never wanted to go…..all I wanted was to get out of Pallet, but I couldn't until I was ten and one night I heard my talking to Professor Oak and she said something about not letting me go because I was too 'emotionally unstable.' So I did what ever I could to make sure I was able to leave. I faked getting better so I wouldn't have to stay. That included lying." Ash explained.

"So, you're putting up a front all the time?"

Ash shook his. "Not all the time. Most of time I don't even think about it. I'm too busy training, having fun with my friends and Pokémon, or helping someone. I'm fine most of time. It just hurts when I have to tell someone about it." Ash told him.

"Like tonight?"

"Like tonight."

Paul actually felt guilty about it. If Ash wasn't helping him, he wouldn't have had to open healing wounds. "Sorry."

Ash shrugged with a small smile. "It's fine. I'll live." He then turned on his side again and put his arm around Pikachu.

Paul looked at the ceiling for a few minutes thinking. Ash sure was more complex than he had ever thought he could be. He sighed. "Ash, are you sure you…" Paul turned and saw Ash was light and steady breathing and knew he was asleep. Paul shrugged, turned over, and went to sleep.

Ok, so I wanted to use this chapter to show Ash's past and show Paul learning about it. I'm hoping next chapter to show some of Paul's past. Then more complications and feelings! Yay! Lol.


	4. Paul's Past

Alright I got this up as quick as I could. I stayed up late working on this so I hope it's ok. And thanks again for all the reviews! I love them mucho! lol

Favor For A Friend? 4: Paul's Past

_Nuzzle. _Ash turned and moaned in his sleep. _Nuzzle, nudge. _Ash groaned. 'I don't wanna get up…' Ash thought. The nudging stopped and Ash snuggled deeper into his sleeping bag. Then…_Bite._ "OW!" Ash exclaimed sitting up. He quickly covered his bitten arm and glared at Pikachu. "What was that for?" He questioned angrily.

"Chu!" Pikachu exclaimed, glaring back. "Pika, pika, Pikachu!" He said pointing at the door. Ash turned his head to look and then heard Steve talking to Laura down the hallway.

"Why don't we go ahead and wake Paul and Ash up now? Get them up for breakfast before we send the two out on the errand for us?" Steve asked his wife.

Amber eyes widened as Laura agreed. Ash quickly jumped up, wrapped up his sleeping bag in a bundle, threw it in his backpack, and literally jumped on Paul's bed with him. Violet eyes opened immediately as he felt the weight of another person almost on top of him. "Ash! What the heck?" He asked angrily as he woke up. He quickly took notice of Ash straddling his waist. "What are you doing!"

Before Ash could answer, the door opened and Paul's parents walked in. The two looked at the door and instantly blushed. 'This was not the position I wanted to be in when they walked in.' Ash thought.

"We're sorry, we thought you two were still asleep." Laura said with a smile. Steve smiled as well.

"Uh, we-we-were j-just uh, just getting up." Paul stuttered. Ash put on a fake, embarrassed smile. Paul did the same.

"Oh it's fine." Laura said with a wave of her hand. "But after breakfast, we'd like for you two to run an errand for us." Steve nodded.

"Um, sure." Paul replied.

"Alright, breakfast will be ready in about 15 minutes. Be out by then." Steve told them and they both nodded. The parents then walked out and closed the door.

The boys sighed. The two then looked at one another and remembered their position. Both instantly flushed and Ash quickly jumped off of Paul and the bed. "S-s-sorry." Ash stuttered. "I-I-I'm just gonna, ya know…" Ash quickly cut himself off, grabbed his backpack with his clothes, and ran into the bathroom, Pikachu running behind him.

Paul laid back down, the blush still upon his face, and groaned. 'Ugh. This is going to be harder than I originally thought….' Paul said to himself. _Especially if you keep enjoying things like what just happened. _His conscience told him. He groaned, knowing it was true. 'But why? Why suddenly do I care about someone other than my brother? I can't care about him….he'll just betray me as well. Everyone always does.' He thought.

Ash then walked out, fully dressed, a light blush still on his face. "I'm uh, done." Ash said. Paul climbed out of the bed and silently grabbed his clothes, and entered the bathroom, walking right by Ash. Before he closed the door, Ash spoke. "That wasn't the position I was planning on being in when they opened the door, by the way. Sorry."

"It's fine." Paul said. "Don't worry about it." When the door closed, the raven haired trainer sighed and looked down at his partner.

"He doesn't seem mad, does he?" He asked Pikachu. The electric mouse shook his head. Paul listened on the other side of the door. "I hope not. I really don't want him mad at me." He heard Ash say. "I know he's not a bad guy, really I do. I don't know why he acts the way he does, but I really want to break through to him and be his friend." Ash told his partner.

"Chu! Pika, pika!" Pikachu replied. Ash nodded. 'Maybe…..maybe he wouldn't betray me after all…..' Paul thought. 'He seems sincere enough.' Paul then shook his head. 'If you start thinking like that, you'll end up hurt again. He'd be just like everyone else.' Paul's conscience told him. He pushed himself off the door and proceeded to change.

*After breakfast*

"So, these are the two packages that we need you to take to the shops in the city." Steve said as he walked in with one large box and Laura walked in the living room with the other. Before breakfast, Reggie had gone out and gotten Brock and Dawn, and they, along with Ash, Paul, Steve, and Laura, had eaten a peaceful meal. Ash, Paul, Brock, Dawn, and Reggie were now sitting in the living room talking…..well, Paul was just sitting. Steve and Laura had then walked in with the errand for Ash and Paul to run.

"Since these packages are so large, we needed two people to go, and since I'm sure you two would love some time alone together," Laura said winking at the two trainers. "We figured you wouldn't mind going today for us."

Ash and Paul glanced at one another and Paul slowly nodded. "Yea Mom, we'd love that." He said behind clenched teeth. Ash smiled and nodded.

"Very well." Steve said. "It's the jeweler's shop right by the Pokémon Center." He told the teens.

"Awesome." Ash said. "I can stop and get my Pokémon."

That confused Laura and Steve. "When did you drop your Pokémon off?" Laura questioned. The five teens then realized what she meant. If Ash had been on that 'date' yesterday, he wouldn't have had the time.

"Oh, well I-I-I-"

Brock cut him off. "We took them for him, along with ours. Dawn and I were going so we figured it would be easy if we just took his as well." Brock explained. Paul made eye contact with the breeder and silently thanked him.

"Oh very good then." Steve said.

"Speaking of which," Dawn said. "Since you're going to go by, why not pick ours up as well?" She asked Ash.

"Sure, no problem." He replied.

"Alright, well here you two go." Ash and Paul stood up and took the packages. "Be careful, alright?" Laura said. The two nodded.

"We'll see you guys later." Reggie said. Brock and Dawn waved and Ash, whom had his hands full, nodded.

"Pikachu, let's go." The electric mouse jumped off the couch and followed his trainer out the door that Steve opened. "See you later, Steve." Ash called out happily.

"See you Ash." He said with a chuckle. "Take care, son." Paul nodded and the two trainers walked out of the yard.

Halfway there, Ash couldn't stand the silence anymore. Sensing Paul wasn't in the best mood, he turned to electric partner walking at his feet. "Veilstone sure is busy during the day, huh Pikachu?"

"Chu! Pikachu pika pika!"

"Yea, a lot bigger than Pallet." Ash said with a chuckle.

Paul arched his eyebrow. "You can understand it that perfectly?" Paul questioned.

Ash turned to his rival. "Of course I can. I can understand all of my Pokémon. After you've become friends, it's really easy." Ash explained.

"Hm, maybe there actually one good thing that can come out of being friends with your Pokémon." Paul said thoughtfully.

Ash laughed and Paul gave him a look that asked what was so funny. "There's more than just one reason." Ash told him. "My Pokémon and I are always in sync because we're so close. Even if I haven't seen or talked to a certain Pokémon in a long time, we can still fight as if we've been together for a very long time without any breaks in between. There are many good reasons to be friends with your Pokémon." Ash told the younger trainer.

"I'll take your word for it." Paul told him.

Ash sighed. He really thought he was getting through to him for a minute there. 'Oh well, guess you can't always change someone's mind.' He thought. Before Ash could reply back, the Pokémon Center and the jeweler's shop were coming into view. Paul walked a little ahead of Ash, balanced the package in one, then opened the door to the shop, holding it for the older trainer. Ash thanked him. "You'll have to stay out here, Pikachu." Ash told him. The electric mouse nodded. The two then walked in.

An old man behind the counter looked up when the two entered. "Ah! Paul, is that you? My gosh, you've grown." The man said. Paul nodded.

"Where do you want these packages? Mom said she called you." Paul said.

"Back behind here, thanks." He told the duo as they walked behind the counter and put the boxes on the ground. After, the two stood up and Ash looked around. "Well don't just stand there," The man said. Ash looked at him. "Come here, let's see how you've grown." Paul lightly blushed but walked over the old man.

"You know, Mr. Lee, I look pretty much the same. Just taller." Paul told him as the old man circled him.

"Nonsense, you look completely different!" Mr. Lee exclaimed. "My goodness, you look so much older. Five years does that to a person your age though, I suppose." He said. Paul shrugged. The shop owner then turned to Ash. "And you must be Paul's boyfriend, I hear." As Mr. Lee was looking at Ash, Paul outwardly sighed, making Ash smile but he nodded.

"Yes sir." He said.

The old man walked up to him and shook his hand. "Well I'm the owner of this shop, and everyone calls me Mr. Lee." He said.

"Nice to meet you, my name's Ash Ketchum." Ash replied with a smile, shaking the old man's hand as well.

"Ketchum…Ketchum, where have I heard that before?" Both Paul and Ash arched their eyebrows. "Oh, yes, you're the fellow that saved Viridian City in a massive army attack years back, were you?"

Ash blushed. "That was actually my father."

"Yes, of course it was. You're not that old." He said with a chuckle. "Yes, I remember. I had the pleasure of meeting him once. You do look a lot like him."

"Yea, I get that a lot." Ash said with a laugh.

"I'm sure you do. Very nice man, though."

"Thanks." Ash said.

The old man turned to Paul. "It seems like he is very much alike to his father, that means, you've got yourself a very nice young man here. Don't you blow it." He told Paul jokingly. Paul fake smiled.

"Sure thing." He told him. He rolled his eyes at Ash when the man walked back behind the counter, causing Ash to silently laugh. When Ash smiled, Paul felt the corners of his own mouth move up.

"Yes, and when you two need it, you come here for your engagement rings, and I will give you a very good discount." Mr. Lee continued.

Both Ash and Paul instantly flushed. "Ha, let's, uh, let's not go that far, that fast." Paul said, holding his hands up in front of him. Ash quickly nodded in agreement.

"Nonsense, I can see it. You two are completely falling in love and will end up marrying each other. No use in denying it." He said with a smile. Ash and Paul looked at one another, made eye contact, and looked away blushing. This just made the old man laugh even more. "See, see?"

"Yes, Mr. Lee, whatever you say." Paul said, trying to hide the blush on cheeks. Gosh, he'd been blushing way too much the past couple of days. He hated feeling embarrassed and he most definitely didn't like showing any weakness to anyone, especially his rival.

The old man chuckled. "Yes well," He said searching for something around the counter. "There's something I wanted to show you, Ash." The two trainers looked at the old man. "When Laura told me Paul was going to come here with his boyfriend, I had to get this out to show you. I think you'll find this amusing." He said picking up a piece of paper. Ash walked up to the counter and when he saw what it was, he couldn't help but laugh out loud. He glanced at Paul.

"Wow, I had no idea, Paul." He said with a smile. "Who knew?"

Paul looked absolutely confused and embarrassed and ran forward to look. He glanced at the photograph and his eyes widened, completely flustered. He saw himself, about eight years old, covered in mud, smiling like crazy for the camera, holding an equally smiling and dirty Pichu. Paul groaned. "Where did you get that?" Paul questioned the old man.

"What do you mean? I took it." He then turned to the smiling Ash. "You see, Paul here, and all his friends used to love coming around the Pokémon Center waiting for trainers to come out with their Pokémon so they could see them up close and personal. They weren't allowed to actually wait outside the Pokémon Center, but they could wait here. Trainers would come out and notice Paul and his friends, and let them play with their Pokémon. The trainer who had this Pichu came around quite often, and Paul made quick friends with the Pichu. For quite sometime, I thought that trainer was going to give Paul that Pichu when he got old enough, but when Paul here was about nine and half, he stopped coming around. It was too bad, that little Pichu was always looking around for him when she and her trainer came to the Pokémon Center." Mr. Lee explained to the older trainer.

Paul felt a pang of pain, guilt, and regret in his heart. "Speaking of which," He turned to Paul. "Why did you stop coming around?"

Paul closed his eyes and turned. "It doesn't matter," Paul said coldly. "It's past." Ash noticed how cold Paul had just turned and knew he was masking some sort of pain again. Paul walked to the door. "We should go." Ash walked towards him, waving to the old man.

"Alright, see you kids later." Mr. Lee said. "It was nice meeting you, Ash."

"You too!" Ash called as he ran out the door Paul was holding for him.

"Good-bye, Paul!" Mr. Lee called.

"Bye." Paul said and let the door close. He watched as Pikachu jumped into Ash's arms when he came outside. He felt another pang of pain watching the electric mouse nuzzle his trainer. "Come on, go get your and your friends Pokémon so we can get home." Paul told Ash. The older trainer, sensing the mood Paul was now in, just nodded and ran towards the center.

"I'll be back in just a few!" Ash called. Paul barely nodded to show Ash he heard him. The mauve haired boy sighed. He then noticed the small field on the other side of the Pokémon Center and a bench. He looked around, shrugged, and walked towards it. He laid down on the bench and watched the sky. 'I really do miss that Pichu.' Paul thought. He sighed. 'I wonder if Travis would have given her to me. He said he never used her in battles…I wonder if he didn't use her so I could be the one to train her.' He pondered. "Oh well." He said out loud.

'That sure was weird though. It almost seemed if Mr. Lee knew we were faking. The look in his eyes….that old man always did know too much for his own good. I wonder what Ash thinks of me now that he knows I used to be friends with Pokémon. He probably just wonders what the hell happened to me, just like everyone else. He doesn't care. No one does.' Paul thought to himself. He sighed.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't little Paulie." A malicious voice said and laughter filled his ears. Paul's eyes shot open.

Omg, I actually tried to do a cliffy…..I hope you all don't kill me lol. I hope this works out. No worries though, I have most of the fifth chapter done so it will be up soon. My guess is tomorrow. Also, I tried making it to where we actually see Paul had nice side once upon time. There will be more on Paul's past in the next chapter but I didn't want to make this one so long so that's why I did the small cliffy. I apologize, it will be up soon! I promise!


	5. More Paul!

Well here ya'll go! Fifth chapter is now up! Here's the rest of Paul's past! I hope you enjoy it!

Favor For A Friend? 5: More Paul!

"_Well, well, well, if it isn't little Paulie." A malicious voice said and laughter filled his ears. Paul's eyes shot open._

Paul shot straight up on the bench and glared at the three very large guys standing in front of him. One was blonde with light red eyes, one had dark brown hair with deep blue eyes making them look almost black, and the other had dark red hair with matching eyes. Paul stood still glaring. "Aw, what's the matter, Paul? Not happy to see us? You're old friends?" The blonde said tauntingly. They all laughed.

"Aw, come on, Paulie, don't you wanna talk to us and tell us all about how you feel and everything?" The brunette teased. Paul scowled.

"Aw, I don't think Paulie's up for it." The redhead said to his friends and they laughed. Paul rolled his eyes. He walked straight through the group heading for the center. The blonde grabbed his arm and pulled him back. Paul had to catch himself to keep himself from falling down. He glared.

"What the hell do you want, Wayne?" Paul questioned angrily.

He shrugged. "We just wanna talk is all." He said with a smirk.

"Yea right. You three idiots barely even have a vocabulary. Don't waste what little brains you have on me." Paul told them and tried to walk through them again. This time the redhead and brunette grabbed both of his arms and threw him at the ground. The three laughed and Paul just stood up and glared them. "Trent, Jared, you two are even dumber than Wayne." Paul said.

"Oh, we're the dumb ones, neh? Well remember how to count. There's three of us and only one of you." Trent (redhead) said.

"I can easily count. If you remember, I'm the one who taught you three losers." Paul told them.

The three glared at him and then Wayne smirked. "Guess we'll have to teach you a lesson as well." Paul smirked. He went to grab for his Pokeballs and then realized he didn't have them. 'Crap.' He thought. 'I left them at the house. Shit.'

The three laughed. Jared and Trent grabbed him and held in place. Paul tried to move out of their grip but couldn't. "It's too bad. I thought you were going to put up more of fight." Wayne said. "You're absolutely pathetic, you know that?" Paul's eyes shifted barely but it was enough for Wayne to see causing him to laugh. He then punched Paul in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him.

Jared and Trent dropped him on the ground and the three laughed. As soon as he could breathe again, Paul stood back up, holding his stomach. Breathing hard, he glared at the blonde. "You've gotten weaker. You punched harder than that when we were nine." Paul said with a small smirk.

Wayne scowled at the mauve haired boy. He grabbed Paul's neck, cutting off his airway. "What's the matter, Paul? Can't breathe?" He taunted. Paul continued to glare at him, not giving in to what Wayne wanted. When Paul didn't struggle, Wayne scowled at him again and threw him on the ground, hard. Paul started coughing but before he could recover, Wayne had kicked him in his side. Paul absolutely refused to cry out. It hurt but he wasn't about to give into this loser. Wayne was about to kick him again and Paul prepared for the blow but it never came. However, something else did.

"Thunderbolt, now!" Before anyone knew what happened, a very powerful thunderbolt shot through the small field hitting Wayne, Jared, and Trent. Paul opened his eyes to watch the three fall to the ground. 'What the?'

"Paul!" Paul, who was still on the ground clutching his stomach and side, turned his head to see Ash running to him. Ash fell to his knees right next to him, concern filling his eyes. "Are you alright?" Paul tried to answer but ended up coughing instead. Ash wrapped his arms around Paul's body and pulled him close.

"What the hell?" Ash turned his head to the three guys who were slowly recovering from the electric attack. "Who the hell are you?" Wayne growled angrily.

Not even thinking, Ash replied. "I'm Paul's boyfriend and the guy that's about to kick your asses for even touching him!" Ash yelled completely pissed.

The three looked surprised. "Boyfriend?" The three chorused.

"Yea, boyfriend." Ash growled glaring hotly at the trio.

"Wow, who knew Paul would actually be able to get a boyfriend." Jared said teasingly.

"Paul's not an asshole like you three are, of course he can get a boyfriend." Ash said. He was sort of lying about the asshole part, but he wasn't going to tell these jerks that. Paul was surprised. 'All I've been is an asshole to him…..why is standing up for me?' He thought. He was also surprised to hear Ash curse. He never thought he'd hear the innocent boy utter such words, or even have so much venom in his voice. 'Guess he isn't as innocent as he seems to be.' Paul thought.

The three were surprised at the defiance in Ash's voice. Wayne then smirked. "It's still too bad. There now may be two of you, but there's still three of us." He said as the three stood up. Paul's eyes widened and he glared.

"If you touch him…" He threatened in a hoarse voice. Ash looked at the teen in his arms.

"Paul…" He whispered.

The three laughed. "Aw, does somebody love him?" Trent asked in teasing voice. Both Paul and Ash glared at him. Paul tried to stand but his side hurt like crazy. He almost fell but Ash quickly stood and caught him, wrapping his arms around Paul's waist, holding him close.

"Perhaps we should show Paulie's boyfriend what happens when people interrupt our lessons?" Wayne said. The three laughed and walked towards the couple. Ash smirked. 'Oh they can try.' He thought.

"And why don't we show them what happens when someone hurts someone we care about?" Ash seemingly said to know one. The trio looked around.

"What are you, talking to invisible people?" Wayne smirked. The other two laughed.

"No, I'm talking to my friends." He said with his own the smirk. The three looked confused and watched as Paul's eyes widened. Ash then pointed to behind him. The trio turned and came face to face with six very powerful, very angry Pokémon. Paul glanced once over his Pokémon and was surprised to find Grotle had evolved and was a Toterra now and that Gliscor was gone and in it's place was a very strong Gible. All six of Ash's Pokémon were glaring and growling at the three.

"Wow, so you think you can beat us in a Pokémon battle? Ha, come on out guys!" Wayne called sending four balls into the air. A Primape, Machamp, Hitmonchan, and Hitmonlee came out. The other two threw four balls as well, holding a Golem, Larion, Combusken, Purugly, Houndoom, Nidorino, and Kingdra also appeared. Paul thought this was going to be tough for Ash but noticed the smirk upon his face.

"Guys, pummel these six Pokémon!" Wayne commanded. The twelve Pokémon rushed forward.

"Toterra, stop them with Leaf Storm, now." Ash told large tortoise. The Pokémon complied and the leaf storm stopped all twelve in their tracks sending them straight to the ground. Paul was impressed. It was powerful only evolving recently. The other three were shocked. Wayne just scowled.

"Get up and get them!" He yelled.

The twelve jumped up, ready to attack again. Ash just smirked even more. "Toterra, use energy ball, Gible, Dragon Pulse, Buizel, Water Gun, Staraptor, Brave Bird, Infernape, Flamethrower, and Pikachu, Thunderbolt." Ash said. The six Pokémon released their said attack, hitting all twelve Pokémon dead on. When the smoke cleared, Wayne's, Jared's, and Trent's Pokémon were all knocked unconscious. The trio dropped their jaws. Ash's six Pokémon stepped forward and the trio backed up. "I swear," The trio turned to Ash. "If you ever come near my boyfriend again, I will seriously let my Pokémon do whatever the hell they want to you. And next time, I'll get my Charizard along with them." Ash knew most people who didn't have a Charizard were afraid of the large dragon. Charizard were known for their power and fierce fighting. "Now get the hell out of here." Ash told them. The three not being able to do anything scowled, returned their Pokémon, and took off towards the forest.

"You better hope your little boyfriend's always around to protect you, Paulie!" Wayne yelled before they disappeared from sight.

"When they were gone, Paul sighed as he was still resting against Ash. "Thanks, guys." He said to his Pokémon. They all nodded. He turned his attention to the boy in his arms. "Are you alright?" Paul nodded, slightly pushing himself off of Ash to stand.

"Yea, I'm-" He had to cut himself off when he almost fell due to the pain in his side. He almost fell but Ash caught him once again.

"Come on, let me at least help you back to the house." Ash asked.

Paul nodded. "Fine." Ash smiled. He returned his Pokémon, wrapped one arm around Paul's waist, and put one of Paul's arms around his neck, holding onto his hand.

"I hope they didn't break a rib." Ash told Paul. "It looked like that's where he kicked you."

Paul sighed. "I wish you hadn't of seen that."

"And I wish you didn't know about my father or the therapy thing." Paul looked at him. "Guess we don't always get what we want."

"Guess not." Paul said with a small laugh. Ash smiled.

When the 'couple' got home, they quickly took notice everyone else's absence. Ash led Paul into the kitchen and helped him sit on the table. As he walked over to get a rag and some ice, he told Paul to take his shirt off. "What!" Paul exclaimed, with a huge blush.

"Your shirt? Take it off." Ash told him. Paul, even though his face was very red, complied. He unzipped his jacket and slipped the long sleeve shirt underneath off as well. Ash turned with the ice wrapped in the rag and walked over to Paul, of course not without noticing Paul had a very nice body. Ash smirked a little. He then noticed the nasty looking bruise on the younger trainer's side. He made a wincing sound when he saw it, causing Paul to look at his own wound. "Here," Ash said putting the cloth on Paul's injured side. "It'll help the swelling."

Paul didn't say anything, he just watched Ash. The raven haired boy was actually helping him. He couldn't believe it. The way Ash had stood up for him and protected him. Why would he such a thing. After everything Paul had done to him, he was helping with his parents and then with today. 'He actually cares. I don't know how, I just know he does. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to open up to him, at least a little.' He then sighed and looked across the room. "They used to be my friends." He said. Ash looked up from his side.

"What?" He questioned, not sure if he heard right.

"They used to be my friends….the ones I used to play outside Mr. Lee's shop with." Ash's eyes widened. He was totally speechless. Paul closed his eyes. "We were extremely close, like you are with your friends." He then shook his head. "I don't know what happened. One day, all the sudden, they decided to betray me and leave me on my own. I was always smaller than them, but I didn't think that had mattered. Apparently it did." Paul told Ash.

"I-I had no idea." Ash said. "Is, is that why you don't want to be friends with anyone else?" Paul nodded. Ash looked sympathetically at Paul. "I'm sorry." Paul looked at the older teen.

Paul then smiled a little. "If they hadn't of done what they did, I never would have met my most powerful rival." He said. Ash smiled at him. Paul then looked into Ash's eyes. At first glance, they seemed brown, but if you really looked at them, they were a deep amber color, and very beautiful. And as Paul was looking at Ash's, Ash was looking at Paul's. With the way Paul acted around people and the hard looks Paul gave people, it seemed as if Paul's eyes were black, but Ash found they were actually a deep purple, just like amethyst.

As the two stood there, they couldn't tell they were both inching closer to each other. Both started breathing a little hard and when they were only a couple of inches away…

"Now that's funny!" Reggie exclaimed as he, Steve, Laura, Brock, and Dawn entered the kitchen. Ash and Paul separated themselves instantly with huge blushes on their faces. The five saw the couple. "Wow, when did you two get home?" Reggie questioned.

That's when they noticed Paul without a shirt. "Exactly what are you two doing?" Steve questioned suggestively. The two glanced at one another and tried to stutter out a response and that's when Laura noticed the bruise on her son's side.

"Oh my goodness!" She exclaimed rushing forward. "What happened?" The other four quickly noticed as well and had surprised looks on their faces.

"Nothing major." Paul assured her. He then gestured to Ash. "Ash helped me." He told the group with a small smile. Ash nodded with a smile of his own.

"But what happened?" Reggie asked.

"Wayne, Jared, and Trent." Paul told his older brother.

"Those boys again?" Steve asked.

"Ugh. I hate those guys." Reggie said angrily.

"As do I." Laura said like an overprotective mother would.

"No worries." Ash said. Reggie, Steve, and Laura looked at him. "I'm pretty sure I kicked their butts hard enough, they won't be touching Paul again anytime soon."

"Kicked their butts?" Reggie questioned with a smile.

"That he did." Paul said with a smile of his own. He then looked at Ash and took the older teen's hand in his own. "That he did." Ash smiled brightly right back at him.

'Hm, maybe this whole thing was a good idea after all.' Reggie said. Brock and Dawn looked at one another, surprised by how the two were acting. Both just shrugged it off.

"Well thank you, Ash." Laura said. The raven haired trainer nodded.

"Of course, no one is going to hurt my boyfriend and get away with it." He said. He then winked at Paul who just shook his head smiling.

"Well I think we should cook a good meal tonight." Laura said.

"Actually Mom, I'm tired, I'd rather just go to sleep." Paul told her.

"It's only seven, Honey."

"I know, I'm just tired. I'll eat extra for you tomorrow." He said.

"Alright, you'd better." Steve told his son. Paul nodded and jumped off the table. The pain in his side came back quickly and once again, Ash had to catch him. Ash wrapped his arms around him.

"Come on, I'll take you to bed." Ash told him with a chuckle. Paul nodded and lightly smiled.

'Wow, I can't believe it. Ash has actually gotten through to him. I guess with all the helping he's done for him, he knows Ash cares and isn't the wrong person to put his trust in. I'm so glad this whole thing came up. And the fact Ash was here during it….I wonder if fate had a part to play.' Reggie thought.

Everyone watched as Ash led Paul to his room. When they got in, Ash helped Paul change and lay on the bed. "You going to be ok?" He asked.

"I'll be fine, Ash. Thank you." Paul said. Ash nodded with a smile and turned to leave. "Ash?" The raven haired boy turned.

"Yea?"

"Really, I can't thank you enough for everything you've done. Once this whole thing blows over, I hope you give me the chance to repay you." Paul told him.

"You don't have to. I want to help and I'm glad to. I just hope you'll be able to consider me a friend one day." Ash said.

"I already do." Paul confessed. Ash smiled at him.

"Good, because same goes for me with you." Paul chuckled. "I'll be back soon, promise." Paul nodded and Ash walked out of the room.

A few hours later, Ash walked in the room with an ice pack in his hands. He walked over to Paul's bed, set on the edge, and stroked the sleeping trainer's hair. 'He sure looks peaceful when he sleeps.' He thought with a smile. He then scowled. 'I can't believe those guys did such horrible things to him. No wonder he's so closed up…..They'd just better never come near him again…I swear I'll….wait a sec….why am I suddenly feeling so protective of him? This is totally weird. Though, today…was I really going to kiss him? I thought I was….' Ash then shrugged.

"Ash?" Said trainer looked down.

"Hey." He whispered. "I brought you an ice pack. We need to keep something on that side of yours to help it heal." Paul nodded, pulled back the covers, and was about to take the pack from the other boy but Ash beat him to it. He lifted Paul's shirt and slipped the ice pack on his side. Paul winced from the cold as Ash pulled his shirt back down. "You alright?"

"Yea." Paul answered. "Thanks." Ash nodded. Pikachu then jumped up on the bed beside the couple. Paul smirked. He lifted his hand and scratched the electric mouse behind the ears.

"Chu!" Pikachu exclaimed happily. Ash smiled. He stood up and went to the bathroom to change. When he walked out Pikachu was curled up on Paul's chest, Paul lightly stroking him. Ash smiled at him again. He was about to grab his sleeping bag, but Paul stopped him.

"Ash." The trainer looked up. Paul blushed and took a deep breath. "This is bed is big enough for both of us." He said. He then slid over by the wall. Ash gave a look of surprise but crawled in the bed next to him. Pikachu instantly jumped in his trainer's arms.

"Pika, pika…chu!" He exclaimed happily.

Ash laughed. "Yea, Pikachu. Very true."

"What? What he say?" Paul asked.

"He said that despite your earlier comment of not opening up to people, you seem to be opening up to me a little." Ash told him.

"True. You're different, I can tell." Paul said. "Way different." Ash smiled at him and Paul felt his heart instantly flutter. He cleared his throat. "I'm going back to sleep."

Ash nodded. "Goodnight Paul."

"Night."

OMG! Finally! Got done with all of Paul's past. It took forever lol. I hope everyone likes this chapter and doesn't kill me for not letting them kiss….no worries, by the end of this fic, they will! It's a promise! And thanks again for the many reviews; many thanks everyone. It means a lot and totally gives me inspiration to write even more. Thank you so much!

And I totally know I sorta skipped a lot of time, but I figured by the time they got back from the city with Paul being injured….I don't know, it just made sense when I wrote it lol. Oh and I've never actually written anything violent before so I'm not that good at it….I hope it turned out ok XD


	6. Fighting Feelings

Ok, sorry this took so long, I've been falling asleep earlier at night than usual. So thanks for waiting for this chapter. I think this one may be a little shorter than usual but I have a plan for the next chapter so that's why. Anyways, here's chapter six!

Favor For A Friend? 6: Fighting Feelings

When Paul woke the next morning, the first thing he felt was the pain in his left side. He immediately winced. 'Gosh that hurts.' But unfortunately, it was expected. 'Still, it doesn't hurt as much as I thought it would. It's not unbearable.' Then he felt coolness on his skin. 'Riiight, the ice pack Ash brought me. No wonder it doesn't hurt as bad as it could.' He thought. The next thing he felt was a certain amount of weight on his chest. 'Huh? What the?' When he looked down, his eyes widened, red rose to his cheeks, and his heart started pounding. Ash was curled right up next to him, his head on Paul's chest, and arm around Paul's stomach.

'How the heck did he get in that position?' Before his mind could come up with a logical reason, Ash sighed in his sleep and snuggled deeper into Paul's chest, making the mauve haired boy blush even more. Paul felt it odd that he was letting Ash sleep still. Surely he himself should have been uncomfortable. Strange thing was, it wasn't uncomfortable at all…..if anything, it was MORE comforting to have Ash sleep on him like this. Paul then couldn't hold back a smile. He lifted his right arm, which had conveniently found it's way around Ash's waist, and ran his fingers through Ash's hair. The younger trainer was surprised to feel how soft it had was. He had thought since it was always messy with the hat, it wouldn't be that soft. 'Guess things aren't as they always appear to be.' Paul thought.

The Veilstone trainer looked at the Pallet trainer's peaceful expression as he slept. 'He sure is cute.' Paul thought with a smile. Realization struck him. 'Oh no, you did not just think he was cute! That's ridiculous! You CANNOT start having feelings for him….you are not allowed to!' Paul scolded in his head. _But you know you are. _His conscience told him. 'Shut up, I am not! I won't!' He was so engrossed in fighting his thoughts, he didn't notice Ash wake up.

The raven haired trainer yawned and stretched. He then remember where he was and then noticed his position. He slowly slid off Paul's chest with a red face thinking the other boy was asleep. When he looked at him, he saw Paul was indeed awake, but he wasn't paying attention to him. "Paul?" He whispered. No response. Ash arched his eyebrow, and then smirked. He poked Paul on the nose and the mauve haired boy jumped in surprise. Ash laughed out loud.

"Geez, Ash, what were you trying to do? Scare me half to death?" He questioned, his heart still pounding.

"You didn't answer." Ash told him still laughing. "I couldn't think of a better way to get your attention."

"Not by scaring me." He said embarrassedly. Ash smiled at him.

"What were you thinking about?" Ash asked. "You were completely lost in your thoughts."

Paul flushed. "Nothing." He replied turning his head.

"Ok…." Ash said still a look of amusement on his face. "How's your side?" He asked.

"Huh? Oh, uh, it doesn't hurt as much as I figured it would." Paul answered.

"That's good." Ash then sat up completely in the bed and pulled the covers back. "Let me see it."

Redness rose to Paul's cheeks again but allowed the other boy to lift his shirt. "How's it look?" He asked.

"Better. And we can most definitely rule out that a rib is broken." Ash told him while rubbing his side gently. He pulled his shirt back down. "That's a good thing." Paul nodded. The two stared at one another for a few moments. "Uh well, I guess we should get up and shower and stuff." Ash said sliding out of the covers. Paul sat up.

"Pikapi?" The two trainers looked around for the voice of the electric mouse.

"Pikachu?" Ash asked looking around the room for his beloved partner. Paul then arched his eyebrow and pulled the covers up. Pikachu poked his head out of the warm covers and tilted his head.

"Pika?" Ash laughed and kneeled on the ground by the bed.

"Morning Buddy. Sleep good?" He asked petting Pikachu on the head.

"Chu!" He exclaimed happily.

"How in the world did he get under there?" Paul asked.

Ash shrugged. "Probably crawled under there to keep warm, right Pal?"

"Pika, pika!" He chirped nodding.

Paul chuckled. "You sure are a very strange Pokémon." He told Pikachu.

"Chu?" He questioned cocking his head to one side.

Paul then laughed. "I don't mean in a bad way."

"Pika!" He chirped happily.

Ash smiled. Paul sure was changing. Three days ago, Paul wouldn't have complimented any Pokémon if had been paid to. Paul was a lot sweeter than anyone really realized. It was like Ash had always thought. Someone just had to give him a chance. And he sure was good looking too. Ash's eyes widened as he frowned. 'What! Where did that come from!' He thought. Ash looked at him scratching Pikachu behind the ears. 'But it is true…' He didn't notice the smile appearing on his face. 'I really like his hair…and his eyes…they're so beautiful. Who knew that they'd be such an amazing color…at first glance, they look so dark and black, but they're not…it's just like him too. People think he's just a jerk with no personality, but when you really get to know him…he's amazing…' Ash thought.

Unbeknownst to the raven haired trainer, Paul noticed the staring and looked at Ash. "What?" He asked.

"Huh?" Ash questioned coming out of his thoughts.

"You're staring." Paul told him.

Ash flushed. "Uh, oops…haha, my bad." He said embarrassedly. "I'm just gonna go, ya know, take a shower and stuff." He quickly grabbed his bag and ran into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.

Paul and Pikachu looked at one another. "Ok…your trainer is one strange guy." He told Pikachu.

"Pikachu." He nodded and Paul laughed.

Inside the bathroom, Ash rested his body up against the door. 'That was too close…why can't I stop thinking about him? He's just my rival…sure I've learned a lot about him but…no, no way…I can't! I cannot have feelings for him! He's not the guy everyone thinks but still…falling in love? I can't!' _But you know you are. _His conscience told him. Ash sighed and closed his eyes. 'Yea, but all that's happening is me setting myself up for heartbreak in the end...' He thought. "Oh well, guess it happens." He said to himself. He sighed, pushed himself off the door, and turned on the water.

In the room, Paul got up from the bed, Pikachu also getting off, and then made it. "Well, at least it doesn't hurt that bad." He told the electric mouse who nodded back at him. He then walked out of his room, Pikachu jumping to his shoulder and then walked to the living room. Reggie looked up from the paper.

"Morning." He greeted his brother with a smile. He noticed Pikachu.

"Morning." Paul replied with a smile of his own as Pikachu jumped down and jumped on the couch. That got Reggie's attention. He hadn't greeted him with a smile in years.

'That's most definitely odd.' He thought. 'Maybe Ash being here was a better idea than I thought.' "How's your battle scar?" He joked. Paul threw a harsh look at him, but Reggie noticed the playfulness in it and was surprised to see that as well.

"Where are Mom and Dad?" He asked.

"They went to see some old friends. They'll be back a little later." Reggie answered. Paul nodded walking into the kitchen and opening the fridge. "But in all seriousness, how is your side?"

"It hurts but it's not as bad as I had thought it was going to be." He replied. Reggie was also surprised by his answer. Usually Paul just answered him with one word answers like 'fine', or 'good.' Paul sure was acting different. 'Maybe not acting…' Reggie suddenly thought. 'Maybe just changing…hm, I sure hope so.'

"Well that's good. Looks like Ash is taking care of you." He said mostly joking as he watched Paul pull out orange juice out of the fridge and pour some in a glass.

"That he is." He replied not really paying attention to his answer while putting the orange juice back in the fridge. Reggie arched his eyebrow and smiled a little. Paul noticed the look. "What?" Reggie shook his head. "No really, what?"

"Just think about what you just said to what I said." He said while smirking at his brother. Paul thought for a second and his eyes widened, a blush appearing on his nose and Reggie's smirk deepened.

"I-I meant-I mean-he just-ugh." Paul said looking away. Reggie laughed. "It's just…he is taking care of me…" He turned to the breeder. "If you really think about it…"

"Very true. Maybe once this whole thing is done and over with, you two can start to be friends." Reggie told him.

Paul walked over to the couch Reggie was on and sat down. "Maybe…"

"What's stopping you? You obviously are getting used to him and you're most definitely not as harsh."

Paul sighed. "My, uh, my new found feelings…" He told him softly, turning his head away from his older brother.

Reggie smiled. "Feelings?"

Paul nodded and sighed again. "I can't believe I'm falling for him." He said embarrassedly.

"Wow." Reggie said shocked. "This is big. Wow. I can't believe it either." Paul shook his head. "Well, what is it about him you like?"

Paul looked at Reggie. "What do you mean?"

"Well, if you have feelings for him, there have to be reasons."

"Gosh, I-I don't even know. I mean he's really sweet and all. He has a huge heart. He always thinks of everyone else instead of himself." Paul didn't notice himself starting to smile, but Reggie did. "And he's protective. You should have seen him yesterday when he stopped them. I-I just, he was amazing. He didn't care to think that I was jerk to him or anything, he just helped. And same with this whole thing. And you can't forget how adorable he is. Oh my gosh, he's cute. Those big, innocent eyes, and that messy black hair. Did you know, even though it doesn't look like it, it's amazingly soft. Like, like silk. I just can't get over that. And his eyes, oh my gosh, wow. You think, with first glance, that they're brown, but if you really look, they're this deep amber color, and so beautiful. And…and…what?" He ended his list as he noticed his older brother giving him this very funny look.

Reggie laughed. "Alright, now I'm confused." He told his brother. Paul arched his eyebrow. "You just said you had no idea how you were falling in love with him, but then you have this gigantic list of everything you love about him. It's pretty obvious to me you have feelings. I don't even think you knew how much you smiling while describing him."

"I-I, uh, but I…" His face was red.

"Pikapi!" Both the breeder and trainer turned to see Pikachu looking down the hallway and watched Ash came into the living room with his hair wet, some sticking to the side of his face.

"Hi Reggie." He greeted happily.

"Morning Ash." He said back with a smile of own. Pikachu jumped into Ash's arms. Reggie took the chance to glance at his brother and noticed the star gazed expression he had. He shook his head. 'Though, I can see why he's attracted to him. He is pretty adorable, I do have to admit.' He thought.

"I just wanted to tell Paul I was done in the bathroom." Ash said.

"Oh, right." Paul said standing. "I'm gonna go, ya know." He walked past Ash and nodded to him, who just smiled brightly back at him.

When Paul walked into his bedroom down the hallway, Reggie couldn't help but laugh. Ash turned to him. "What?"

"Ah, nothing. Brother stuff. He's just weird." Reggie told the raven haired trainer.

"That's very true." Ash replied sitting next to Reggie.

"So, how are things working out with this whole thing?" The breeder asked. Ash looked around the room. "Mom and Dad are at a friends' house. No need to worry."

Ash turned his attention back to the older male. "Well, I don't know how to answer that." He said with a smile.

"Well is as bad as you thought it would be? I mean I've noticed Paul's changing. I don't know if you can see it but I sure can."

"Yea, I can see it. And I'm glad. I think it's just what I've always thought." Ash said.

"Oh, what's that?" Reggie questioned.

Ash shrugged. "That someone just had to give him chance. I knew he wasn't really a bad guy, he just had a cover. I didn't know why or what happened, but I knew if someone would give him a chance, he'd be the person I could see hidden inside." Ash explained.

"So, you've always thought he was a good guy?" Reggie asked amazed.

"Well, not at the very beginning, but after a while I did. I could see it."

"Hm, I never knew someone could actually see past his façade." Reggie said.

Ash shrugged. "I've had many masks of my own." Reggie arched his eyebrow making Ash laughed. "It's complicated. Lots of things in my past." Reggie shrugged. Just then the front door opened and Brock and Dawn walked in.

"Knock, knock." Brock said walking in.

"Morning Brocko!" Ash greeted standing up. "Morning, Dawn."

"Morning Ash." They both replied. Reggie stood up as well. "Morning Reggie." They both said again.

"Morning you two, Mom and Dad are out so it will be just us for breakfast." He told them.

"Alright, I'll make breakfast." Brock said.

"I'll help." Reggie said. The brunette nodded.

"I can go out and feed the Pokemon!" Ash suggested excitedly.

"Sure Ash, that'd be great." Reggie said. "I'll send Paul out when he gets out." Ash nodded.

"Dawn, you said you wanted to learn how to cook, why don't you watch today." Brock said.

"Sure thing." She replied.

"Ash, you know where the food is?" Reggie asked. The trainer nodded. "Alright, take our Pokemon out there then." He said handing his own and Paul's Pokemon to the raven haired boy.

"Take ours as well." Brock said handing his own and Dawn handed him hers' as well.

"Alright, be back in a bit." Ash said. Pikachu and Piplup followed.

Ten minutes later, Paul walked in the kitchen. He noticed the three cooking but looked around. "He's outside feeding the Pokemon." Reggie said when he noticed Paul standing there looking around.

Brock and Dawn turned to the younger trainer. "Uh," Paul lightly blushed. "Thanks." He told his brother. Reggie nodded as he walked out the front door. Reggie smiled, shook his head, and turned to finish breakfast. 'I seriously hope those two end up together. Paul needs someone like Ash.' He thought.

OMG! Finally finished! Yes! Haha, sorry again for how long this chapter took. The other one should be up soon hopefully. It won't take three days though, that's a promise! Anyways, thanks again for waiting patiently. And thanks for all the reviews! I appreciate them mucho! Lol.


	7. Gary!

Alrighty then, so here's chapter seven! Gary comes into the picture and Paul doesn't like that much….I wonder what complications will happen this time….oh and for anyone who was wondering, I know I made Paul seem WAY changed in the last chapter but I figure love does do that and since it was only then that he realized it,…..well it just made sense when I wrote it. But don't worry, jerk Paul is still there. He reappears lol. On with the story!

Favor For A Friend? 7: Gary…

Emerald eyes looked around as he walked to the top of the hill. He looked down at city below him. "Well Umbreon, looks like we finally made to Veilstone."

"Umbre!" The black fox Pokémon agreed.

"Come on, let's get down there, get some supplies, stop for lunch, and head out. We need to catch up with Ashy-boy. We want to be at the league cheering him on." Gary told his partner. The black fox nodded and the two started the walk down to the city.

*At the house*

"Alright, Staraptor, use Brave Bird and try and hit me!" Ash commanded to predator bird. He took off running with Staraptor right behind him, using his most powerful attack.

After breakfast, the five stayed outside and talked when Ash remembered he wanted to perfect the angle of Staraptor's Brave Bird. Now Brock, Dawn, Reggie, and Paul were watching as Ash trained sitting at the table while the rest of the Pokémon were watching while being spread out around the grass.

"He's going to get himself killed." Paul stated watching him run and dodge the attacks.

"Nah. He does this kind of stuff all the time." Brock said.

Paul glanced at the younger breeder. "All the time?"

"Yea, this is how he trains. He believes if his Pokémon should have to train then he should too." Brock then laughed. "And if you think this is dangerous, you should have seen him training Charizard, Sceptile, and Snorlax. Now THAT was dangerous." He said with a laugh.

"So, he's always been like this?" Reggie asked.

"Oh yea. When Misty and I first started traveling with him, we tried everything in our power to make him stop and think about it, but he never listened. Always has to do it his own way." Brock explained.

"Misty? Who's Misty?" Paul asked.

"Oh, she's the Cerulean Gym Leader." Dawn answered. "Apparently the two have an extremely close relationship."

Paul felt jealously rise up in his stomach. The realization hit him. "Gym Leader?"

"Yea, her sisters were taking care of the gym while she was traveling with Ash for three years, but after the Jhoto League, they called and needed her back. Same with me. My family called and needed me back at my home at the Pewter Gym so I left as well but met up with him again a few weeks later a few later in Hoenn."

"Wait, Pewter Gym?" Paul questioned.

"Yea, I was the Gym Leader when I met Ash. He battled me and I gave him Boulder Badge." Brock told him.

"You were a Gym Leader?"

"Yea, my dad came back and took over the gym when Ash was leaving Pewter City so since I wanted to be a breeder; I asked him if I could come along with him. We've been traveling together for what now, almost six years? I stopped traveling with him when he went to the Orange Islands, but came back when before he went to Jhoto."

"So he traveled with two Gym Leaders? Wow." Paul said.

"Not just that," Dawn said. Reggie and Paul looked at the coordinator. "Aren't May and Max the son and daughter of the Petalburg Gym Leader, Norman?" She asked Brock.

"Yes they are." Brock said. He then noticed the looks of confusion Reggie and Paul had and laughed. "Ash met up with May and Max in the Hoenn Region. May was a beginning trainer and Ash sort of took her under his wing. Max is her younger brother who wasn't a trainer yet, but Norman thought it would be good for him to travel with Ash and May so he could learn about Pokémon with them. They were already traveling together when I met up with them in Hoenn."

"Wow, Ash has had a lot of traveling companions, hasn't he, Paul?" Reggie said. Paul shrugged and turned his head. He wouldn't let his brother see how jealous he felt that all these people got to be close to the boy he had feelings for. Reggie shrugged at Brock and Dawn. All the sudden there was an explosion.

The four turned quickly to see smoke on the grass. They stood as Staraptor came out of the smoke and quickly blew it away. Ash was on the ground coughing. "Ok, break time." He said sitting up and rubbing his side. "You're getting faster. I'm going to have to pick up my own speed." Ash told Staraptor.

"Star…"

"Hey," Ash said standing up as the bird landed next to him. "Don't feel bad, I was your target and you hit me. It was great!" Ash told his Pokémon cheerfully. Staraptor then nuzzled his trainer.

Paul face-palmed. "I told you he was going to get himself hurt."

"Actually, you said he was going to get himself killed." Reggie told his younger brother.

"Same difference! They're both bad!" He told him. Reggie held his hands up in surrender. 'Note to self,' Reggie thought. 'Don't talk back to him about the boy he has feelings for.'

"Umbre, Umbre!" Everyone turned to look towards the gate, Ash and Pokémon included, and saw an Umbreon jump the fence, run to Ash, and tackle him.

"Ash!" Brock and Dawn yelled. Paul scowled and was about to call out one of his Pokémon to attack the black fox when the four noticed Ash was laughing.

"Stop it, Umbreon! That tickles!" Ash exclaimed as the black fox licked and nuzzled him.

"What?" Reggie questioned confused. Brock, Dawn, and Paul were equally confused.

Ash sat up as Umbreon got off of him and stood. "Hey, what's going on?" Brock asked the trainer as he walked towards them, Umbreon walking beside him. Pikachu quickly ran over and tackled the black fox playfully.

Ash laughed at the two Pokémon and then turned his attention to the others. "Oh it's…"

"Ashy-boy!" Everyone turned towards the gate and saw Gary standing there waving.

Ash's face lit up. "Gary!" He called out happily and ran towards his friend. Ash literally jumped the fence and ran straight into Gary's arms. The brunette laughed and hugged his longtime friend back. "I've missed you so much, Gary!"

"I've missed you, too, Ashy." He said to the trainer while in the embrace.

Paul glared hotly at the brunette, balled his hands into fists, and started shaking angrily. "Who the heck is that?" He asked to no one in particular.

"Oh that's Gary Oak, Professor Oak's grandson." Brock answered with a smile on his face while watching the two old friends hug one another.

Violet eyes widened. "That's Professor Oak's grandson?" He asked turning his head towards the younger breeder. Brock nodded. Paul looked back at the duo. He couldn't believe it. He was expecting his grandson to be some geek or something. Not someone so…so tall, and handsome, and…attractive. And Paul couldn't help but notice Gary's right arm was wrapped very tightly around Ash's waist and his left arm around Ash's back, his hand gripping Ash's shoulder. He didn't even know the guy and already hated him.

"Ash and Gary are best friends." Dawn said. "They've been friends since childhood growing up together in Pallet." She told Reggie.

"Well that's cool. We should get him to join us." Reggie said.

"Say what?" Paul asked his older brother. Reggie ignored him.

"Hey Ash!" He called. Ash and Gary, whom both had smiles, turned towards the breeder. "Come on, bring your friend inside!"

Ash smiled at Gary, grabbed his hand, opened the gate, and dragged him into the back yard. "Hey Gary!" Dawn exclaimed as Ash dragged him towards the others.

He chuckled. "Hey Dawn, hey Brock." He said shaking both their hands.

"Gary." Brock greeted shaking his hand and smiling. "What are you doing out here?"

"I was actually on my way to the Sinnoh League." He replied.

"Really?" Ash asked.

"Yup." He said turning his head to his old friend. "Gramps told me you had gotten all eight badges and were on your way yourself so I thought I'd leave early and catch up with you."

Paul noticed the light blush that appeared on his face. "You were coming to catch up with me?"

"Of course! I wasn't going to let my best friend go through the Sinnoh League without me there cheering him on." Gary told him with a wink. Ash smiled at him and hugged him making Gary laugh as he hugged him back. Paul scowled and crossed his arms around his chest. Brock and Dawn smiled at one another.

"So you're Professor Oak's grandson?" Reggie asked. Gary turned towards him as Ash and him broke the embrace.

"Yes I am." He answered.

"That's very cool." Reggie said with a smile. Gary nodded.

"Gary, this is Reggie." Ash introduced. "He's a breeder here in Veilstone."

"Oh, it's very nice to meet you." Gary said shaking his hand.

"You too." Reggie replied.

"And this is Paul." Ash told Gary gesturing to the mauve haired boy. "He's my-"

"Rival, yea, Gramps has mentioned him a couple of times." Gary told his best friend. Paul arched his eyebrow. "Well it's nice to meet you." Gary told him. Paul barely nodded, not removing the frown on his face, or moving his hands that were crossed on his chest. Gary shrugged at his friend and Ash rolled his eyes with a smile on his face. "So what are you guys doing here anyways?" He asked Ash.

"Uh…." He said with a blush. Brock and Dawn laughed and Reggie chuckled. Gary arched his eyebrow. "Perhaps we should sit; it might take a while to explain." Ash told him.

*Thirty minutes later*

Gary laughed out loud. "Wow, great job, Ash. Make up your own plan without anyone else knowing." He said between laughs.

Ash pouted. Paul noticed the cute gesture. "Hey it worked didn't it?"

"Yea, it has been working perfectly." Reggie told the researcher.

"I never said it wouldn't work, it's just funny to see how Ash hasn't changed." Gary told Reggie.

"Hasn't changed?" The breeder asked. Paul also looked at him curiously.

"Yea, Ashy-boy here has always liked to take matters into his own hands when it comes to helping people. Even if it does mean he could get into trouble." Gary explained. "He did it all the time growing up. It's funny how much he's the same."

"Well I'm sorry I haven't changed." Ash told him pouting a little. Gary laughed.

"Hey, I'm glad you haven't changed. You wouldn't be the same Ashy-boy I know." Gary told him.

"What's with the 'Ashy-boy'?" Paul asked sourly. Everyone looked at him surprised. Those were the first words he said since Gary had been there.

Gary shrugged. "It's just my nickname for him." He answered.

"More like pet name." Paul mumbled to himself.

"Yea, Gary's been calling me that since we were what, six?" Ash said.

"Something like that." Gary said with a smile. The two smiled at one another and Paul scowled at the older teen. 'Jerk.' Paul thought.

"Hey I know, why don't you let your Pokémon out, Gary?" Dawn suggested.

"Uh, am I allowed to?" Gary asked.

"Sure, go ahead." Reggie said.

Gary nodded, stood, and walked away from the table some. "Come on out guys!" He called throwing his Pokeballs into the air. Everyone watched as Arcanine, Blastoise, Nidoking, and Nidoqueen came out of their balls. Ash jumped up and ran beside Gary.

"Hey guys!" Ash called. When the four Pokémon noticed Ash they all smiled and ran up to him, Arcanine actually tackling him. The four Pokémon all nuzzled him. Umbreon also ran over to Ash and licked him. Paul tightened his hands around the chairs handles his hands were resting on. 'How the heck is he friends with his Pokémon as well?' He thought. "Hey Gary," Ash said looking around. "Where's-"

"Right here." Gary said taking the final Pokeball out of his pack around his waist. He threw it into the air.

"Electivire!" The large cat like Pokémon called as it was released.

"Hi Electivire!" Ash exclaimed.

"Electi!" It cried and walked up to the trainer.

Paul stood and his jaw dropped. He took a glance at his Electabuzz sitting a ways away. "Electivire, how cool." Reggie said walking over to the two Pallet trainers. Gary looked at the breeder. "I haven't seen one in person in a while." He said. "And looks super strong."

"Oh he is." Ash said. "Gary's Electivire is on the top of the most powerful electric Pokémon I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot. Not to mention what a great trainer Gary is. One of the best I've ever battled." Ash complimented. Paul felt his stomach bubble hotly at Ash's praise towards the brunette.

"I don't know if I'm that good." Gary said sheepishly. "But I evolved my Electabuzz so he'd be more powerful. Plus, I needed some electric type to keep up with Ashy here and his Pikachu. Those two are hard to beat as a team when Ash has his time to strategize out his battle plan."

Ash flushed. "I don't if we're that hard to beat…"

"Of course you are." Gary told him with a smile. He took one of Ash's hands in his own. "You and Pikachu are one of the best teams I've ever seen, Ashy-boy. You don't need to be so modest." Ash smiled back at him and Paul seriously wanted to kill the researcher at that moment.

Reggie smiled at the friends but took a glance at his brother and noticed the jealous look in his eyes. He had to stifle a laugh. He then noticed a look of determination flash across his eyes. Reggie watched as Paul walked up to Gary. "Let's have a battle." Ash and Gary looked at him.

"Battle?" He questioned.

"Yes, your Electivire against my Electabuzz." Paul said. Reggie face-palmed. Ash, Brock, and Dawn all gave looks of surprise. "We'll see whose is more powerful."

Gary saw the look in Paul's eyes and gave one of his all Gary Oak smirks. "Alright. You're on, Paul, but be warned. I was Ash's very FIRST rival and his very FIRST friend. I know all of his tricks and so I also know all of the tricks people use to beat him. If you think just because I'm a researcher now that means I'm not a powerful trainer, you'd better think again." Gary could tell Paul was jealous of his relationship with Ash and so decided he'd use that to his advantage. Whether Paul had actual feelings for the younger trainer, he wasn't sure, but he knew Paul hated the fact they got along so well.

"Whatever, let's just battle." He said walking towards the open field. Gary smirked and followed. "Electabuzz, let's go." He told his Pokémon.

"Come on Electivire." Gary called. The two faced each other.

"Ok, I guess I'll referee." Brock said walking to the middle of them but outside the battle area.

Ash, Reggie, and Dawn sat down in the chairs. Dawn on one side, Reggie on the other, and Ash in the middle. Ash then noticed Gary's Pokémon came and sat on his right side, while Paul's came and sat on the left. He looked between the two teams.

"Come on, Gary!" Dawn cheered happily. Gary's Pokémon let out a cry of support.

"Use your head Paul! Don't let your emotions control this match!" Reggie called out to his younger brother. His Pokémon, being able to sense their trainer's emotional dilemma, cried out an agreement. Ash looked between the two back and forth. 'Who the heck am I supposed to cheer for!' He exclaimed in his head. He glanced between the two and sighed.

"Alright, this one on one battle between Paul and his Electabuzz and Gary and his Electivire has no time limit!" Brock called. "Begin!"

Paul smirked. "Use Thunder now!" Electabuzz charged his attack and fired it at his evolvement. Reggie and Ash face-palmed. Dawn noticed.

"What?" She asked.

Ash looked at her. "Electivire don't take damage from electric type attacks." Ash told her.

True to Ash's word, when the attack hit Electivire and cleared, he stood there completely unfazed. Paul's eyes flashed a surprised look and Gary smirked. "Come now, everyone knows electric type attacks don't do any damage to Electivire." Gary told him. Paul scowled. "Now it's our turn, Electivire, Flamethrower now!"

Everyone's eyes widened and before Paul could react, the Flamethrower hit Electabuzz. Luckily, out of instinct, Electabuzz held his arms up, blocking the fire attack. Ash sighed. 'Huh? Why did I feel relieved?' He pondered. "Now use Ice Punch!" Gary commanded.

The larger cat Pokémon ran up to the smaller one, it's fist glowing blue, and aimed to take the hit. "Protect now!" Paul called out. Electabuzz used it's attack, a green force field appeared around it, making Electivire hit that instead of Electabuzz himself. "Now Dynamic Punch!" Paul commanded. Electabuzz dropped the shield, it's fist glowing, and hit Electivire dead on, pushing the larger cat Pokémon back towards it's trainer. However, it quickly shook the attack off, showing it didn't do too much damage.

Paul scowled and Gary smirked. "Electivire, use Charge Beam." Gary told his Pokémon. The cat did as it was told and charged his attack. Paul glared hotly, and as the attack shot at Electabuzz, called out an attack as well.

"Block it with Thunder!" Paul told him. Electabuzz complied and the two attacks collided in midair causing an explosion.

As soon as the smoke cleared, both trainers called out to their Pokémon. "Iron Tail!" Both Pokémon used their attacks and collided in midair as well. "Thunder Punch!" They commanded again and they both hit each other dead on sending both Pokémon back towards their trainers.

Electivire recovered first and Gary knew it. "Fire Punch now!" Electivire quickly used the attack and hit Electabuzz sending it to the ground. Gary smirked while Paul scowled. "Hm, I have to say, I expected a little more." Gary told the mauve haired boy.

"It's not over!" Paul called. "Use Iron Tail!"

Gary smirked. "Dodge it." Electivire used it tail and jumped in the air to dodge. Paul looked up in surprise, Electabuzz did as well, stopping the attack. "Thunder Punch, let's go!" Gary commanded.

"Protect now!" Paul told his Pokémon. Electabuzz did as it was told, creating the shield.

Gary smirked again. "Use Feint!" Electivire's armed glowed and destroyed the force field around Electabuzz hitting him.

"What! It knows Feint!" Paul exclaimed.

"This isn't good for Paul." Reggie said. "He's in trouble now." Ash looked sadly at his rival.

"Use Iron Tail one more time!" Gary called.

"Block it!" Paul called out to his own Pokémon. The Iron Tail was blocked by Electabuzz's hands but it still did some damage. Electivire landed in front of Gary, still looking completely strong and ready to battle, but Electabuzz who landed in front of Paul looked exhausted and worn out. Paul scowled at the smirking Gary. Ash already knew Gary had this match. Paul's strategy of using Protect wouldn't work against Electivire's Feint. Paul couldn't come up with anything to use against it.

"Electivire, let's finish this up, use your Thunderbolt." Gary commanded.

"Use your own Thunderbolt to block!" Paul told Electabuzz. Gary inwardly smirked. He had him now. When the two attacks met in midair, it caused an explosion and smoke covered the field.

"Flamethrower!" Gary called. A powerful Flamethrower came through the smoke and hit Electabuzz sending him back on the ground towards Paul. "Finish it up with a Fire Punch!" Electivire came out of the smoke at top speed and knocked out Electabuzz with the attack. Electabuzz landed at Paul's feet, out cold. Paul scowled.

"Electabuzz is unable to battle, Electivire wins!" Brock called. Electivire landed victoriously in front of Gary. Gary gave a smirk to Paul across the field. Dawn jumped up and ran to the brunette.

"Awesome battle, Gary!" She exclaimed.

Brock also walked towards the researcher. "Yea, I wasn't expecting Electivire to know Flamethrower. That was a great surprise." He told him.

"Thanks, it took a while for him to learn it." Gary told the breeder.

"I bet. It's a hard move to get down." Reggie said walking up to the trio and they started talking. Ash looked at Paul across the field and noticed he wasn't taking the loss very well. He walked up to him instead of Gary.

"What an awesome match, Paul!" Ash exclaimed happily to his rival. Paul looked up in surprise at him. Gary, Brock, Reggie, and Dawn also noticed Ash complimented the mauve haired boy.

"What are you talking about? That was horrible." Paul stated.

"Nonsense." Ash said with a wave of his hand. "You should have seen the battle I had with Gary and Electivire, now that was horrible." He joked. Paul didn't laugh so Ash continued. "But really, that was amazing. And Electabuzz was great too! The fact Electabuzz got up after that first Fire Punch says a lot. And you didn't even have to tell Electabuzz to block that Flamethrower! Now that's product of some really great training! And considering Electabuzz and Electivire had the same power in all those attacks says a lot too. You've trained Electabuzz great! I can't wait for our rematch in the Sinnoh League!" Ash told him.

Paul looked at him. He just couldn't understand this boy. He's all friendly with Gary the whole time he's been here and instead of going up to him first and congratulating him, he's here complimenting HIS Pokémon, and even his training. It just didn't make any sense to Paul. This boy never did. 'How is it you have feelings for someone you can't understand?' He thought. "Well," Paul started. He didn't know what to say. "Thanks, I guess." He told Ash. Ash smiled brightly at him.

"Ash is right you know." The two looked to see Gary, Reggie, Brock, and Dawn walking towards them. "Electabuzz has been trained well. I was impressed. You're a good trainer, Paul. There's no doubt about that." Gary told him with a smile.

"See? Gary agrees." Ash said happily. Paul nodded with a very small smile. It was then Gary could see the hidden feelings Paul had for his best friend. 'Yea, I thought that's why he challenged me.' Gary thought.

"Hey kids!" The six turned to see Steve and Laura walking through the gate. Ash and Reggie both waved.

"How'd your morning go?" Steve asked as he and his wife walked up to them.

"Great, just about ready for lunch." Reggie told his parents.

"Yes, us too." Laura said with a laugh. The two parents then noticed Gary.

"Oh, you're new." Steve said to the researcher.

"Oh, sorry, I'm Gary, Gary Oak." The brunette said.

"As in Professor Oak's grandson?" Steve questioned.

"Yes sir." He said.

"Well it's very nice to meet you. Ash said you were his best friend." Laura told him. Gary laughed.

"Yea, Ash and I have been friends for years." He told them.

"Well very good then. Mind if I ask what you're doing here in Veilstone?" Steve questioned.

"Oh, just passing through. I was actually on my way to catch up with Ash so I could watch him participate in the Sinnoh League." Gary answered.

"Well in that case, why don't you stay here in the guest house with Brock and Dawn? Ash is, of course, sharing Paul's room, but that's no reason why you can't stay." Laura suggested.

"Oh, well, wow, thanks. I'd love to." Gary told the parents. Paul sighed.

"Very good. Why don't we all start to fix lunch?" Steve asked. "It's a good time to."

"I agree, and I'll be happy to do the cooking." Brock said.

"I'll help with that." Reggie told him. Then the two breeders and the parents walked towards the house.

"Hey Gary, you think you and I could have a practice battle?" Dawn asked.

"Sure, why not?" He questioned.

"Yay!" She exclaimed running ahead and calling Piplup to her. Ash shook his head and turned to his rival.

"She's so weird." He told him.

"Yea, weird…" Paul said. It was going to be a long few days with Gary around. He wasn't sure he liked this idea anymore.

OMG! I can't believe how long that took! This chapter is way longer than I had expected, like five pages longer lol. Oh well, anyways, I hoped you all liked it! Oh and yes, Electivire CAN use Flamethrower. I looked it up. So please don't bite my head off about it lolz. And sorry for anyone who wanted Paul to win. For Paul to stay at the jealous stage he's in, I needed him to lose. Sorryz…please forgive me…XD Anywho, I hope to get the chapter done sooner…ugh, I'm having problems coming up with more complications…

Oh and if anyone has any ideas, I need a last name for Paul. I use their Japanese names for they're middle names so that won't really work. But any suggestions anyone has would be great! And thanks again for the reviews!


	8. Complications

OK, so I really have to get back into this thing…I am going to start chapter nine right after I finish and post this so hopefully you guys won't have to wait that long again. Anyways, on with writing! Yay!

Favor For A Friend? 8: Complications…

"So Gary, why don't you tell us about yourself?" Steve asked. Once lunch was finished, the eight sat around outside with all the Pokémon and started talking. They were now all finished eating and just talking. Steve and Laura were sitting next to one another with Reggie sitting next to Laura. On each end of the rectangular table was Brock and Dawn, and on the other side, Ash sat in between Paul and Gary. Steve, deciding he wanted to learn more about his son's boyfriend, found out an easy way to do that would be to get to know his son's boyfriend's best friend.

"Oh um, I'm not sure there's much to tell." Gary said sheepishly.

"Well, you're sixteen like Ash is, so you've also been on the road for six years, right?" Laura asked. Paul, who didn't care about this guy at all, tried his best to ignore that he even existed and took a drink, trying to think of something else.

"Well yes, but I'm actually seventeen." Gary answered. Just like before, Paul instantly choked making everyone look at him. Ash sweatdropped as he started coughing and Ash then rubbed his back affectionately and Paul had to fight the blush that threatened to appear at the contact.

Once it seemed Paul was just fine, the parents turned their attention back to the brunette. "So you're seventeen?" Steve inquired.

"Well yea, but only by a month." He answered.

"Oh, so you're only a few months older than Ash, then?" Laura asked.

"Yea, by five short months." Gary said. Paul scowled and crossed his arms. 'I don't believe this. Not only does he have this history with him and him being taller than him and even me, he's older too? What is this? Fighting with the 'perfect' guy? There's no way I'll win.' Paul thought. He sighed.

Ash glanced at him and cocked his head. He could read his suddenly sadden expression. He put a hand on his shoulder and Paul instantly looked up and at him. Ash smiled brightly him. Paul couldn't stop the smile appearing on his own face. Everyone at the table took quick notice of the two and watched as Ash connected his hand with the younger trainer's. Reggie really couldn't help but smile for his younger brother. Maybe, just maybe, he'd let his front fall and let Ash all the way in.

"Aw, you two are so cute." Laura said. Both Ash and Paul jumped and turned to see everyone looking at them. They both blushed and everyone laughed. "So, Gary, what's it like to be the grandson of someone so famous?" Ash gave Paul's hand a quick squeeze and turned his attention back to the conversation but didn't unclasp their hands. Paul stared at the raven haired boy. 'He's so perfect. I don't care if Gary is this 'perfect' guy. He's not taking Ash from me…' Paul blinked. 'Man, this whole situation is actually making me think and act like an overprotective boyfriend…I'm in deeper than I could have imagined.' He thought.

"Actually, it's not as great as people might think. Everyone puts you up on this pedestal and expects so much from you…it's kind of annoying actually." Gary replied.

Ash nodded in agreement. "When we were back in Pallet Town everyone had this certain expectation for Gary. He never enjoyed it." Gary nodded.

"Well it certainly sounds justified. I wouldn't want people doing that to me." Steve said.

"So, you were Ash's rival as well?" Laura asked. Ash and Gary glanced at one another.

"Well yea…we sort of had a bit of a falling out and for a little while could have been seen as mortal enemies, but underneath it all, we still cared about each other." Gary explained having had this discussion with Ash years ago.

"Falling out?" Steve questioned.

"Yea, Gary became arrogant and teased me every time we met up for a little while but it didn't stay that way for but about a year." Ash told the parents.

"It's not something I'm proud of." Gary said. "I still don't know how Ashy-boy forgave me, but I will say I'm not complaining." He said wrapping an arm around Ash's shoulders, making him let go of Paul's hand, who just blushed. Paul crossed his arms and looked away. He did not like the fact Gary could just do that. Steve and Laura gave questioning looks to one another.

"Well, I think we should get this mess cleaned up." Laura said standing. Everyone also stood and started cleaning up the table. The rest of the day went rather smoothly with no special events. Ash stayed outside with Gary and Dawn to train while Brock and Reggie discussed breeding subjects and Steve and Laura went to get a few things at the store and Paul sat inside reading.

It was now late evening and the mauve haired trainer was getting sleepy from reading all day. He put his book down and laid his head back on the couch. He decided to just let his eyes rest for a moment but before he knew it, he drifted off into a light sleep.

_Violet eyes opened and looked around. Paul sat up and noticed he was in his room. 'Odd.' He thought. 'I was on the couch. Guess someone brought me here?' He shrugged, climbed out of his bed, and walked out of his room and down the hall towards the living room. He saw Reggie and Brock sitting there talking. Dawn was also in the living room petting Pikachu and Piplup. She looked up from the Pokémon and saw him and glared._

"_Paul". Brock and Reggie stopped their conversation and looked at the younger boy. Paul noticed their hard looks at him. 'Very strange.' He then looked around._

"_Where's Ash?" He asked his older brother._

"_Still on his date." Reggie said coldly. _

"_Wait, date?" He questioned suddenly surprised._

"_Yea, you know, the one Gary was taking him on tonight." The older breeder said._

"_With…with Gary?" Paul questioned._

"_Yea," He said standing. "Who else? Gary's the only one who treats like he should be treated. Who else would he go with, you?" His brother joked walking into the kitchen. Paul was taken back by his usually happy and caring brother's changed attitude towards him._

"_But, but Mom and Dad…he should have waited until they were gone!" Paul exclaimed. 'I was supposed to still have time.' He thought frantically. _

"_Um, Paul," Brock started slowly. "Your parents have been gone for a week now." He told the younger trainer. _

"_Wait, what?"_

"_Yea, and as soon as they were gone, you distinctively pushed Ash away again remember?" Reggie questioned with a glare. _

"_What? I didn't want to push him away…I wanted him to like me." Paul said out loud. Dawn snorted. _

"_Some way to show it." She said. Paul looked at her oddly. "Don't tell me you can't remember being a jerk to him front of the whole airport? Yelling at him for no reason, I don't know why he even helped you. You're such a jerk." She told him standing up. "I wish your parents had taken you." She said angrily and walked towards the front door with Pikachu and Piplup behind her. Pikachu looked at him and sparked. Paul's jaw dropped. And here he thought that all of Ash's friends were docile just like Ash was. Brock and Reggie also gave him looks of disappointment._

_When Dawn went to open the front door, Gary and Ash were about ready to open it themselves. They almost collided with the coordinator. "Haha, sorry Dawn." Ash said with a smile. _

_She giggled. "No problem, Ash." She said letting the two in. _

"_You two have fun?" Reggie asked with a smile._

"_Oh yea, Ashy-boy is always fun." Gary commented squeezing their clasped hands. Ash smiled at him and Gary leaned in to press a sweet soft kiss to his lips. Ash eagerly returned it. The two breeders and coordinator smiled while Paul felt he couldn't breathe. _

_When the two Pallet trainers broke apart, Ash leaned onto the brunette. He then noticed Paul standing there. The two made eye contact and Paul saw a flash of pain go across his eyes. "Um, Gary, I'm tired, so I'm going to go head on to bed." Gary noticed Paul standing there as well. _

"_Alright Ashy, let's go." He said. Ash gave one last look towards Paul and turned around to walk back outside. Gary then glared at Paul but then he put on a smirk. Paul, still not being able to come up with a logical solution as to what was happening and not being able to breathe, noticed Gary distinctively mouth the words 'I win' before turning around and walking out with Ash. "Night everyone." He called back towards the others. _

"_Night." The three chorused. Before the door closed, Pikachu ran out towards his trainer. _

_Paul, still not being able to catch his breath, fell to his knees. His brother, Brock, and Dawn didn't seem to notice. He felt as if his heart was being melted right on the spot and he couldn't do anything about it. He tried to get some air in his lungs but to no avail. He then heard Ash's voice. _

"_Paul? Paul can you hear me?" He felt shaking. "Paul!"_

Paul sat straight up on the couch, sweat covering his forehead, and his breathing heavy. He glanced around and saw Ash, Reggie, Brock, Dawn, and Gary looking at him with concern.

"Paul, are you ok?" Ash asked. He was kneeling right by the couch, the closest to him.

The younger trainer tried to catch his breath. "I…I think…" He panted.

"That must have been one bad nightmare." Gary said. Brock and Dawn nodded.

Paul looked at the researcher. "Yea, bad…" He said his breathing still unsteady. He leaned his head back against the armrest and put a hand in his hair. "Very bad."

Reggie walked into the kitchen real quick and came back with some water. He handed it to Ash who in turn handed it to the mauve haired boy. "You gonna be alright?" Ash asked worriedly.

Paul nodded taking the glass and drinking. "Yea, I'll be fine." He answered his heart rate slowing and his breathing becoming normal. Ash gave him a really concerned look.

"What in the world were you dreaming about?" Reggie asked.

Paul glanced at the raven haired boy and the brunette. "Uh, nothing special." He told his brother.

Reggie arched an eyebrow. "If you say so." He said. Just then the front door opened and Steve and Laura walked in. Paul sat up again and suddenly felt the pain in his side come back. He winced and Ash immediately knew what was wrong.

"Reggie, can you get that ice pack for his side again?" Ash questioned. The breeder nodded and walked to the freezer. "Pull your shirt up." Ash told him. Pink found it's way onto Paul's cheeks.

"W-what?" He questioned glancing at the others putting his hands on the edge of his shirt pulling it down. Reggie walked back in with the ice pack and handed it to Ash. The raven haired boy gave him a hard look. He threw Ash a glare but let Ash slip the ice pack on his side again.

"Hey kids!" Laura called out. Brock, Reggie, Gary, and Dawn who were standing looked towards the door. "We thought we could all watch a movie tonight. Steve and I rented this and I think you all would like it." She said walking into the room. She then glanced at her son on the couch. "Everything ok?" She asked.

"Yea, everything's fine. A movie sounds great." Reggie said covering for his brother. He knew the last thing Paul wanted was to worry her.

"Yea, it's been so long since I've actually sat down to watch one." Brock stated. Gary and Dawn nodded.

"Alright, then let's all get settled." Steve suggested. Everyone nodded and Ash helped Paul stand up with the ice pack. While everyone else's attention was focused on his parents, Paul gave Ash another glare for holding onto his side.

"I can take care of myself you know." He whispered with an irritated tone. A quick flash of hurt ran threw Ash's eyes. Paul then quickly remembered the dream and remembered seeing the same pain in his eyes at that point and suddenly panicked. "But," He amended quickly. "Thanks for you help." Ash then blushed and smiled at him. Paul couldn't help but give a warm look to the older boy.

An hour later, everyone was sitting around the living room watching the movie. Steve and Laura were on the loveseat, Brock and Dawn were both in chairs, and Gary, Ash, and Paul were on the big couch. Paul was on Ash's left side and Gary was on his right. During the movie, Paul barely focused on it. He was too busy thinking about the dream he had and how to make sure it didn't come true. That was the absolute last thing he wanted at this point. He was so focused in his thoughts, he didn't notice Ash slowly leaning towards him. Ash's head was on his shoulder before he was stumbled out of his trance. He looked on his right shoulder and saw Ash's eyes were closed so only assumed he was asleep. This time, he didn't even notice the light blush that covered his face. He looked up at the TV and focused back on the film.

During the rest of the movie, Ash went from being on Paul's shoulder to his head resting on the mauve haired boy's chest. Paul barely even noticed the change. He had even subconsciously wrapped his right arm around the raven haired boy's waist. Towards the end, Ash was completely curled up next to the other boy and Paul himself was getting sleepy again. He couldn't hold his eyes open anymore and ended up resting his head against Ash's. Gary had taken a glance and saw the position they were in. He smiled and turned his attention back to the film. At the end, everyone stretched and yawned. Reggie got up and turned on the lights.

"Well that was a good film." Laura said. Everyone nodded in agreement. Steve then looked on the couch and smiled.

"I guess not good enough." He said smiling. His wife and the others gave him a strange look. He gestured to the couple on the couch. Everyone looked and saw Ash and Paul cuddled up together. Reggie shook his head wearing a smile. 'Man is he in deep.' He thought. 'I hope he knows what he's doing.'

"Should we wake them?" Dawn questioned.

"Nah." Steve said. "Let them sleep. They can sleep here on the couch. Reggie, will you get them a blanket?" The breeder nodded and walked down the hallway to a closest.

"Well, they do have the right idea. I think it's about time to head to bed as well." Brock said. He glanced at the two trainers. He just couldn't believe it. After all that's happened between the two, here they are curled up in each other's arms. He too, shook his head with a smile.

"Brock's right, time for sleep." Gary said.

"Well we'll see you three in the morning." Steve said. Brock, Gary, and Dawn nodded.

"Goodnight." Dawn said as she walked towards the door. The other two followed. Reggie waved to them as he walked back into the living room. They waved back and walked out.

"Reggie, help me lay them down." Steve said. Reggie and Steve slowly lifted Paul a little and laid him down, his arms still wrapped around Ash's waist. The two shifted their sleep but Paul instinctively pulled Ash on top of him and Ash cuddled more into his chest. Steve, Laura, and Reggie all smiled. Reggie then put the blanket over them. "Come on, time for us to go to sleep too." Steve said.

"Reggie, do think all the Pokémon will be ok outside all night?" Laura asked.

"Yea, they'll all be fine." Reggie assured her. She nodded. The three bid goodnight and went into their separate rooms.

The next morning, the sun was shining through the curtains in the living room and landed perfectly on Paul's eyes. He squeezed them shut as he woke up. He lifted his arm and rubbed his eyes. He then felt the weight completely on top of him. He looked down and saw Ash curled up on him. He blushed. 'Dang it! What is with you and all this blushing!' He yelled in his head. He then sighed. 'Wait a sec, where?' He looked around. 'Guess they didn't wake us after the movie.' He thought as he noticed he was in the living room. Ash sighed in his sleep and snuggled up even further into the embrace making Paul look down at him. He lifted his left hand and ran it through Ash's hair again. He really liked doing this.

"Don't get too used to it if you don't plan on saying anything." Paul looked up and noticed Gary leaning on the couch standing over them wearing a smirk. Paul glared at him. "What? Not happy to see me?" He questioned teasingly. He knew how Paul felt about him.

"What do you want?" Paul asked.

He shrugged. "Just warning you. If you don't plan on telling Ash your feelings, than you'd better not get too used to being this close."

"Wait, aren't you worried I'll tell him?" Paul questioned.

"Yes, but not for the reason you think." Gary told him. Paul arched his eyebrow. "I'm afraid of you hurting him. If you don't tell him how you feel, then I don't have anything to worry about. But no, I have no feelings other than friendship for him." Gary told him.

Paul looked at him. "What if I don't believe you?"

Gary shrugged and crossed his arms. "Then you don't believe me. What's it matter to me? I'm just telling you up front, you hurt him, you'll have hell to pay." He warned.

Paul wanted to say more but Ash shifted his sleep and slowly woke up. Ash yawned and stretched then looked around and noticed Gary above him. "Um, hi Gary." He said kind of confused.

"Morning Ashy-boy." He greeted with a smirk. "Going to say morning to your boyfriend?" He joked. Ash gave him a perplexed look. Gary pointed to the couch and Ash looked down and saw Paul under him.

Paul put on his own smirk. "Don't tell me I'm that comfortable that you actually can't feel that you're on top of someone?" He teased. Ash flushed and tried jumping up but got tangled in the blanket and would have fallen off the couch backwards if not for Paul's quick reflexes. He sat up quickly and grabbed the other boy, pulling him back on the couch and literally in his lap. Paul was expecting Ash to be heavier so pulled him with a stronger force than he needed and the two ended up bumping foreheads as their lips passed over each other's.

Both amber and amethyst eyes widened at the light kiss and instantly separated. Gary had to stifle a laugh. "Um…I-I'm sorry." Ash said completely red and unable to move.

"Uh, y-yea." Paul said, equally red and frozen. It might have only lasted for a split second but it was the best second of his life.

Brock, Dawn, and Reggie then entered the room from the kitchen. "Ok, breakfast is done." Reggie said.

"Did you wake them, Gary?" Brock asked. Gary couldn't hold it in anymore and laughed. The breeders and coordinator looked at him oddly.

"Oh they're awake alright." He said between laughs and pointing to the two. The three walked forward more and looked over the couch and noticed their position. Ash sitting in Paul's lap, both of them cherry red, arms wrapped around one another with the blanket tangled with them.

The others stifled laughs as well. "Having fun you two?" Reggie asked.

The words brought the two trainers out of their trances and they quickly stuttered as they both tried to untangle themselves from not only the blanket, but themselves as well. The two finally succeeded and stood up. Steve and Laura then walked in. "Good morning everyone." Laura greeted happily.

Once everyone greeted one another, they all settled down and ate breakfast. Everyone held small talk except for Ash and Paul who could barely even look at one another. Unfortunately, both Steve and Laura noticed the strange behavior. "Did you two have a fight this morning?" Laura asked the 'couple' when the both had ended up glancing at one another at the same time and looked away with blushes.

The four others and Steve looked at them. "Um, no, w-we-we just, uh," Paul stuttered.

"Awkward position when we woke up." Ash tried.

This confused the parents. "If you two are a couple, there shouldn't really be any awkward positions." Steve said. He had been watching the two carefully. Something didn't seem quite right all the time. Panic hit the others and Paul as well. Ash, however, strangely enough, kept his cool.

"Well, maybe for couples that, ya know, do everything." He took a side glance at Paul. "Paul and I haven't exactly done everything yet. You know, more, uh, intimate stuff." He 'explained' to the parents. He could see Paul hitting for saying something like that later but if it covered them oh well. "So yea, waking up in a more intimate position is a little awkward still." The others were impressed with Ash's quick thinking and save.

Steve and Laura glanced at their youngest son. He faked smiled. "Well, I guess that makes sense." Steve said. Paul and Ash looked at one another with the same thought in mind. 'That was REALLY close.'

"Well Paul," The mauve haired boy looked at his mother. "I want you to take this letter to your aunt's house." Paul groaned. "Reggie, you need to go too." Reggie shrugged.

"Alright." He said.

"So," Laura said getting up and walking over to the counter. "It won't take long, but it needs to get done." She picked up the letter and handed it to Paul. "Don't worry, your father and I will have kitchen duty." Paul and Reggie nodded.

"Should we leave now?" Reggie asked. Steve nodded.

"We'll want ya'll home before she offers you lunch so you don't have to stick around the whole day. Drop it off, talk to her, come home. Nothing too hard." Steve said.

"Ok," Reggie said standing. "Paul let's go." Paul sighed and stood. He was about to follow his brother towards the door when his mother stopped him.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" She asked. He shifted his eyes confused. "Aren't you going to give your boyfriend a good-bye kiss?" Both teens' faces went red.

"You know, now that it's mentioned, we haven't seen you two kiss once." Steve said suspiciously. Panic now not only arose in Paul but Ash as well. Luckily Reggie stepped in to save them.

"Haha, yea, they sort of are afraid of sharing kisses in public." He said as his parents looked at him. "It's really kind of sweet actually."

"Yea, they actually just shared a very short, sweet kiss this morning." Gary said with a smirk. Both Paul and Ash looked at him with anger in their eyes. Brock, Dawn, and Reggie looked at one another.

"Well, I guess that's understandable." Steve said. Both Ash and Paul sighed when the parents weren't looking. However, it didn't last long.

"But we're not public." Laura said. Everyone looked at her. "Surely you two feel fine around us, especially by now."

"Um, well, sure." Paul said.

"Then what are you waiting for? Kiss your boyfriend bye before you go." She told her son. Reggie face palmed. Gary made himself hold in his laughter while Brock and Dawn glanced at one another. Laura looked at Paul expectantly. He glanced at his dad who also gave him the same look.

He swallowed hard and looked down at Ash who was sitting in the seat next to him. Ash was wearing a blush but he didn't seem to object. Paul gathered all the courage he could, bent down, put his hand on Ash's cheek, and pressed his lips to Ash's. Both instantly closed their eyes, feeling completely indescribable. Out of instinct, Ash put his hand behind Paul's head and held him there for a minute. Both could feel and hear their hearts beat and neither wanted this feeling to end and then Paul couldn't hold back any longer and deepened the kiss a little bit and was surprised to find Ash kissing back with the same force. If it hadn't been for the air problems, Paul probably would have guessed he would have stayed in that position for the rest of eternity. He loved it that much.

Paul slowly pulled away, not really wanting to but not really wanting to die of lack of oxygen. He slowly opened his eyes as did Ash and the two made eye contact. Both wore crimson and both were breathing a little harder than normal. Everyone else's expressions were priceless. Laura and Steve just thought they were simply adorable, Reggie didn't think his brother would have actually gone through with it so when Paul leaned down, his eyes and widened and jaw had dropped, Gary was, with great difficulty, holding in laughter, and Brock and Dawn looked like they had both seen a ghost.

After a moment of staring at Ash, Paul cleared his throat and stood back up. "I'll see ya later?" He questioned, his voice trembling.

Ash nodded. "Uh, uh yea. Later." He replied. Paul took a chance and bent down to press a kiss to Ash's forehead. Man, had he wanted to that.

He turned to his mother. "Can we go now?" He asked. She smiled and nodded. Paul walked towards the door and dragged the still surprised Reggie along with him. "See ya'll later." Paul said as the two walked out. Before he closed the door, he looked at Ash one more time and smiled at him. Ash smiled back and waved.

"Have fun!" He called. Paul rolled his eyes and shut the door.

OMG! YES! I FINISHED THE CHAPTER AND MADE THEM KISS! *jumps up and down and does little dance.* I didn't think I could actually do it….omg I feel all tingly from making them do that haha. Oh well. This chapter is longer than I planned but I figured people probably wouldn't mind very much. Omg, I still can't believe I did it…yes! Lol. BTW most of this chapter was not planned out ahead of time. It came to me while I was writing…that dream…yea totally thought of on the spot…it was crazy…oh wellz. I hope you all enjoyed that chapter. I know I enjoyed writing it. Hopefully I can write faster than I have been so that way chapter nine will be up soon.


	9. Fights

Ok, so, I have no idea what I want to write about right here, so I'm just going to start writing and see what happens and what comes out. I hope it doesn't end up too horrible. I have some major writer's block but I don't want to wait anymore time to start this chapter. Oh well. The next chapter will be better I promise.

Favor For A Friend? 9: Fights

"Stop it." Paul grumbled to his brother who was walking beside him. He had his eyes closed and hands in his pockets as they walked down the dirt road towards their aunt's house. He still felt Reggie's stare. "Stop staring at me already!" Paul yelled looking at him.

"Sorry, I just, I can't believe you actually went through with it. I mean, you actually kissed him." Reggie said.

"You should be the one to know that I WANTED to do it." Paul told him completely perplexed as to why he didn't get that. Did he, or did he not, explain to the breeder that he had feelings for the other trainer?

"It's not actually the fact you kissed him, it's the fact you kissed him in front of everyone else." Reggie told him.

Paul closed his eyes as they continued to walk down the dirt path and explained to his brother. "Unfortunately, that is only way I'd ever be able to kiss him."

Reggie smirked a very Paul-like smirk. "Unless you tell him."

Paul glared at him. "I am not telling him." He told the breeder.

"Why not? What the heck have you got to lose?"

"My dignity." Paul replied. Reggie sighed.

'Oh well, I can't expect a change over night.' The breeder thought.

"Did you tell Gary?" Paul asked. Reggie turned to his brother.

"Tell Gary what?" He questioned.

"That I had feelings for Ash." Paul answered.

"Of course not, why would I tell him?"

He looked at his brother and replied, "So that I wouldn't end up with Ash."

Reggie looked at him like he had two heads. Was his brother crazy? "Why would I want Ash to end up with Gary instead of you? You are my brother you know. Why do you think I wouldn't support you?"

"Because I'm a jerk and I don't deserve someone like Ash." He answered.

Reggie had different thoughts about this statement. On one hand he knew Paul was technically right. On the other, he also knew the reason Paul acted the way he did and knew that the only way for him to get to open up again is for someone to actually to give him a chance and the only kind of person who would is someone like Ash. He sighed. "I think you'd treat Ash just fine. I know you don't want to admit it, but I know you know that having feelings for someone is changing you."

Paul sighed. Reggie was right, he wouldn't want to admit that…at least not out loud. He could easily admit to himself that he knew he was changing…ok, so maybe not EASILY, but he knew on the inside he was. The thing was, he didn't know if he wanted to stop this change. Though, he didn't know if he keep up this 'new Paul.'

When his brother went silent, Reggie knew that he was thinking about the whole situation. Curiosity then struck him. "Why did you suddenly think I told Gary anyways?" He asked turning his head to look at him.

Paul looked at him as well and answered, "Because he knows."

"Wow, guess if he can read you he's pretty smart, especially to be able to decipher that."

"Maybe not." Paul said. Reggie cocked his head in confusion. "I'm pretty sure I'm just getting easier to read."

"And you have a problem with that?" Reggie questioned.

"Of course I have a problem with that!" The mauve haired boy yelled. "I don't want people knowing what I think. That's one reason I don't care to have relationships with people." He admitted.

"Well, you know just because you have a relationship with someone doesn't mean everyone will automatically know what you think. Look at Ash. He has friends everywhere and he's pretty hard to figure out." Reggie explained.

"How do you figure?" Paul inquired.

"You wouldn't be interested if he was easy to understand." Paul sighed. He hated to admit it, but his older brother was right. Gosh, it was annoying how right he's been lately. "Well, we're here." Paul looked up and saw his aunt's house. "Let's get this done." Reggie said.

"Oh the joy." Paul said sarcastically with a frown. Reggie rolled his eyes, grabbed Paul's arm, and dragged him towards the house.

Back at the Harper's house, Laura and Steve, along with Ash's help, had just finished cleaning the kitchen. "Thanks again for helping us, Ash." Laura said. Steve nodded in agreement.

Ash smiled at them. "No problem. Anytime." He told them.

"You sure are helpful a lot." Steve stated.

Ash put his hand behind his head and sheepishly said, "Oh it's fine. I love helping people and doing all I can for someone else."

"And very great quality to have in your personality." Steve said. "I just bet you're doing and helping Paul out a whole bunch. Maybe even with some very big things. I bet you're even helping him out right now."

Panic filled Ash. 'They couldn't have figured out could have they?' He thought frantically. 'I have to make sure they don't have any doubts.' "Well, I don't know how much I'm helping him right now, but I know I'll be here for him whenever he needs my help."

"You are a very good friend…er, boyfriend." Steve said. He wanted to see if he could any signs of deceit out of Ash and right now was the best time without Paul around.

"Oh well, I try." Ash said sheepishly. "I care a whole lot about him." He told them. At least he didn't have to lie about that.

The front door then opened. "Hey Ashy-boy." Ash, Steve, and Laura looked at the researcher as he walked in. The brunette nodded to the parents out of respect then turned his attention to his friend. "Did you want to train some? You said yesterday that you could some help with a couple of attacks."

"Oh, right!" Ash exclaimed standing up. 'Perfect timing too.' He thought. "Yea, I want your help teaching Infernape and Pikachu a few attacks." He turned to Steve and Laura. "I'm sorry, may I be excused?" He asked politely.

Laura nodded. "Of course." She told him.

Ash and Gary were turning to head to the door when Steve stopped them. "Just a quick question." He said. The two Pallet trainers turned to look at him. "Why can't you train with Paul? After all, you two are dating, right?"

Ash sweatdropped. "Well yea, but like I said before, we may be boyfriends, but we're also rivals. We both want to win the Sinnoh League so we don't train together." He explained to the suspicious father.

"Well, is that fair?" He asked. Ash and Gary looked at one another.

"What do you mean?" Ash questioned.

"Well, with Gary helping you. It kind of doesn't seem fair that you have a bunch of friends to help. I'm just saying." Steve said.

"Oh, well, it's not like I wouldn't help Paul if he wanted me to." Gary said stepping in to save his friend. "I'd be glad to help him if he wanted it. And Ash here doesn't usually train with anyone else, he just wanted some advice on how to teach some new attacks to his Pokemon. Most people who teach their Pokemon attacks they don't learn automatically, get some sort of advice or help. Not all, but most."

"Oh, well, when you put it that way." Laura said trying to end the conversation.

Steve still was trying to figure this thing out. "Yes but-" Laura cut him off.

"You two have fun and see you both later." She said. The two nodded and walked out.

When the door shut, Steve turned to his wife. "Why did you just let them walk out? I was positive I was on to something." He told her.

"Why are you so suspicious? Why can't someone just actually have feelings for our son? Why are you so against that?" She said standing up from the couch and getting angry.

"I'm not against that, I just don't believe it." He told her.

"Why? Why can't you just accept that you were wrong? That we were wrong about him? If someone like Ash has feelings for Paul than we know he has a nicer side and just doesn't like to show it." Laura said.

"That's the problem, Paul lost his 'nice' side years ago. No one has ever been able to break the front he has up and I doubt anyone will." Steve argued. "It's not that I want it, I just…can't believe it until I see it…and I sure as heck haven't seen that front dropped yet. I'd know if it was."

"Maybe he doesn't 'drop' it for everyone. Maybe he cares more about Ash than anyone else and so he only shows himself to Ash. Did you ever think of that?" She countered.

"Yes, that's what I've been making myself think for the past few days. And you may be right, but I think I should be able to make sure." Steve told his wife.

"Not by making Ash feel guilty. That's below immature. We want Ash to like us." She said.

"It may be the only way to get him to talk."

"Look," Laura said. "No matter what you think, I can see Paul cares more about Ash than he shows. And Ash cares a whole heck of a lot for Paul."

"How do you figure?" Steve asked.

She threw up her hands in surrender. "Call it 'I have eyes.' Call it 'mothers' intuition.' Call it whatever you'd like, but I know they do. Now stop being such a jerk."

Steve sighed. "Whatever." He stood up and walked out the front door, slamming it shut. Laura then sighed herself. 'Oh, they better have feelings for each other.' She thought. She also stood and walked out the front door as well. Neither of the parents knew that Dawn and Brock had come in through the back after Gary came and got Ash and overheard everything.

"This isn't good, Brock. They're getting…well, at least Steve's getting suspicious. What do we do?" Dawn said.

"Pip…"

"Not sure, but we have to make sure we tell Ash and Paul about it. They need to act closer than they are to fool them now." Brock said.

Dawn nodded. "What should we say?"

"We'll have to tell them we heard. They'll need to know. Now come on, let's get outside." Brock said walking towards the back door. Dawn followed.

"So, Ashy-boy, what attacks did you want to go over?" Gary asked as they walked towards the forest.

"Well, I really want both Pikachu and Infernape to learn Thunder Punch and Fire Punch." Ash told him. "And I know how to do it, I just thought if they could watch Electivire do it, they'd understand it better."

"Pika, pika!" Pikachu chirped from Ash's shoulder.

"Alright, anything else?"

"Um, well, actually," Ash said with a blush. "Since I know that Paul and I will battle in the league, since there's like no doubt, and since Electivire knows the attack…I wanted to see if you could help me teach Pikachu Feint. It would come in handy when I battle Paul and his Electabuzz."

"Sure, no problem. But it's a hard move to get down. It'll take work." The researcher told him.

"I know." Ash replied.

"Well then," Gary said as they entered a clearing. "Shall we get started?" He asked. Ash nodded and threw a Pokeball in the air.

A few hours later, Pikachu and Infernape had Thunder Punch and Fire Punch down pretty well. Pikachu had also made some great progress with Feint and so now the Pokemon and trainers were sitting under a tree resting. "So," Gary started. Ash looked at him. "How was it?" He asked with a smirk.

Ash's eyes shifted back and forth confused. "How was what?"

"The kiss, what else?" Ash's eyes widened and red rose to his cheeks.

"It, it was a kiss. Nothing special." He told the researcher turning his head to hide his embarrassment.

"Oh really? Well it seemed to me that you really enjoyed it. The first one when you woke up this morning as well."

"I was just embarrassed. You try kissing your rival and not want to crawl in a hole and die." Ash said with red covering his face.

Gary shook his head. "Right, so, you can honestly say you had no desire for that to happen and didn't enjoy it?" Ash turned his head away again without giving an answer. "Yea that's what I thought." He said with a smile. Then his face got serious. "Ash?" The raven haired trainer noticed the change in his voice so looked at him. "Please, please be careful."

Ash cocked his head in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"With Paul. I know there's some chemistry between you two, you'd have to be an idiot not to see it, but I don't trust him." He told his best friend.

"Why not?" Ash asked.

"I don't know, maybe because of his history with you? He's been a jerk. I don't trust him. And I know you're just trying to help but I'm afraid he may end up hurting you." Gary replied.

"So you're saying I should still help him and try and get him to trust me without trusting him?" Ash asked irritated.

"Well not particularly in those words…"

"Gary, the only way I'm going to get Paul to open up is if I do trust him…and I do." Ash told him.

"How? After all he's done…"

"It doesn't matter, I can see past that." Ash said.

"Maybe you shouldn't." Gary told him.

"So you're saying I shouldn't give him a second chance?" An annoyed Ash questioned.

"Well I…maybe not just right out of the blue…you know, make him earn it." Gary said.

Ash scowled at his friend. "I didn't make you." He said crossing his arms. Emerald eyes widened in surprise at the comment. "Look Gary, Paul may have been a jerk to me, but it's not like you have any room to talk. You were just a sadistic to me as he was. You never treated your Pokemon like he does, but you also didn't have any reasons. At least, you never gave them to me. Paul on the other hand, does. And he opened up just enough to tell me. He trusted me, Gary. It's much more than you did."

"Look, you're right, I don't have room to talk, ok? And I didn't give you a reason either; I didn't open up to you and I did push you away. For that, I apologize. I can't turn back time and stop myself from doing that. I wanted to, I've always wanted to, but I can't change the past. All I can do is help you and be your friend now. And I'm not telling you not to trust him. I can't tell you that, that's just a part of who you are. You have that natural trusting ability, something most people don't have. I'm just telling you be careful, alright? I care a lot about you, you're my best friend, and I just don't want you to get hurt. You've been hurt before because of me specifically and I don't want you to go through that again. Please, just please promise me you'll be careful? I can tell you like him, and I'm not going to stand in the way and try to make you stop having those feelings, I just want to protect you is all." When Gary was done explaining, he squeezed Ash's hands, and the younger boy sighed.

"I know, I know, and I'm grateful, I really am, the fact you're willing to help me out so much means a lot, I just…panicked. Or something…I don't know…it's just weird. Anytime I hear someone talking bad about Paul, I just, wanna punch them in the face…sorry." Ash said.

"In the face, huh? Remind me never to speak bad about him again, you may just do it." He joked. Ash corner smiled. "And I'm pretty sure the reason are those feelings you're having about him." Gary said. Ash nodded. "Look, just try and slow down. I know this whole situation is weird and I know that you volunteered for it, but if you don't think about what you're doing, you're going to end up hurt. And I just don't want to see that happen."

"I know, and thanks. I just don't know how to make myself 'slow down.'" Ash said.

"Well, at least the effort will be there." Gary joked making the raven haired boy laugh. "So, shall we practice some more?" Ash nodded and the two stood up and walked back in the middle of the clearing.

Back at the house, Paul and Reggie had gotten back hours before when they all had lunch. The group talked for a while and then Steve and Laura gone inside to clean up the kitchen and house while the teens had stayed outside. Brock and Dawn had just finished telling Reggie and Paul about what they had heard that morning. "I'm just warning you, you and Ash need to act closer than you have. If you want to remain here, that is." Brock said.

Paul nodded. "Yea, will do. Thanks for the warning." He turned to his brother. "And I told you it was always Dad who was the suspicious one." Reggie shrugged. Paul stood up and was about to walk inside when Reggie's voice stopped him.

"Where you going?" He asked.

Paul arched his eyebrow. "The bathroom, nosy one." He grumbled and turned and walked inside.

"He's not in a very good mood, is he?" Dawn asked.

"He won't be until this whole thing blows over." Reggie said with a shake of his head. "Let's just hope we can fool my parents for the next three days." Brock and Dawn nodded.

When Paul was finished with his 'business,' he was going to go back outside when he overheard his parents talking in the kitchen. "So, you do find it's weird for Ash to spend so much alone time with Gary?" Laura questioned.

"Of course, though I think this whole thing is odd." Steve said. Paul sighed. This was not good. He walked back outside to the table.

"What's wrong?" Reggie asked noticing the look on his face.

"Now not only is Dad suspicious, Mom seems to think that Ash is 'cheating' on me with Gary." Paul told the three.

Their eyes widened. "No way, impossible." Brock said. Paul nodded with a frown.

"Too bad, Ashy-boy!" The four turned to see Gary jump the fence wearing a smirk, Ash about ten feet away.

"That's totally unfair, Gary! You got a head start!" Ash exclaimed as he also jumped the fence, Pikachu right behind him.

"Sorry I knew when to start, loser." He joked. Ash scowled and tackled him, landing on top of him while he was on his back. Reggie, Dawn, and Brock sweatdropped while Paul shot death glares at the brunette.

"Well, at least I can get why Mom thinks that." Reggie said. Brock and Dawn nodded as they watched as Ash and Gary rolled around on the ground laughing and throwing each other fake insults. Paul seriously wanted to kill the researcher at the moment. He was getting pretty close too.

"Are they fighting?" The four turned to see Laura and Steve walking up to them, concern on Laura's face.

"No, they're just playing." Brock said.

"Playing?" Steve asked.

"Yea, they're weird." Dawn said sheepishly.

Steve and Laura looked at one another with suspicious looks. Paul inwardly groaned. He had to do something about this. Ash and Gary finally quit playing around and walked up to the others.

"Hey guys." Ash greeted happily.

"Ash." Steve said with a nod.

"How'd your training go?" Brock asked.

"Great, Gary helped us get some new attacks down. They will most definitely be useful in the Sinnoh League." Ash told them.

"That's good." Reggie said.

"Yes, very." Paul said between clenched teeth.

"So, we were thinking of grilling tonight, how does that sound to everybody?" Laura asked.

"Sounds good, Mom." Reggie said. Dawn and Gary nodded.

"I'll gladly help." Brock added.

"Alright, then we'll all eat that tonight." Steve said.

"Actually, Mom, Dad," Everyone turned to look at Paul. "Ash and I were planning on a date tonight. Since the two of us haven't had barely anytime alone, we wanted to spend the rest of the day together." Paul told them with a smirk. 'That'll show the stupid researcher…' He thought.

Everyone looked surprised. But Ash forced a nod. "Yea, we were hoping you wouldn't mind." Ash quickly lied.

"Of course not!" Laura exclaimed happily. She thought that was adorable.

"Yea, it's fine with us." Steve said.

"Cool." Paul said. He turned to his boyfriend. "You ready to go now?" He asked.

"Sure." Ash said with a nod. He turned to Gary, took Pikachu off his shoulder, and handed the mouse to the brunette. "Take care of Pikachu, Gary." This surprised everyone, even Paul.

"You're not going to take Pikachu?" Laura asked.

"Nope." Ash replied. He took Paul's hand in his own. "We wanted to spend the day completely alone." He said with a smile.

"Well alright. See you two later tonight. And have fun." Steve told them. The two nodded and Paul led Ash out of the backyard.

"Well I hope they have fun." Laura said.

"Those two, alone with each other? Oh yea, they'll have fun." Reggie said with a knowing smirk.

Omg, I cannot believe how long it took for me to write this chapter. Ugh, writer's block sucks…..ok, well the next chapter will have some Ash and Paul alone time and show their 'date'. Hopefully I will be able to write that one faster than I did with this one. And I'm sorry, I know this chapter is sort of like a filler. I needed something to happen for Thursday. Which, I don't think I've kept up the timeline. The days are starting off from Monday and the last day will be Sunday. So yea, I needed something for Thursday and this seemed like a good idea. To show that the whole situation caused tension between everyone, not just Ash and Paul. And yes, it is part of the story for Steve and Laura to be suspicious. It comes into play later. Anyways, sorry again for the late update. I hope to get chapter ten up sooner.


	10. The Date

Ok, well this is chapter ten. Ash and Paul have their 'date' in this chapter and they are the only main characters in this chapter so it is all about the Comashipping yay! Lol. And yes, in some parts of this chapter Paul may seem like the uke but he is not! Ash is just breaking through to him. And thanks again for all the awesome reviews. I never imagined I'd get sixty of them and still have more to write. It's insanely incredible. So thanks and here's the next chapter!

Oh and thanks for all the ideas of Paul's last name. They were all good and I appreciate the help. I decided to go with DragonTamer94's last name though as it sounded the best for not only Paul but Reggie, Steve, and Laura too. Since, they all do have the same last name.

Favor For A Friend? 10: The Date

Ash looked around the city as he walked. It sure was different than Pallet Town. He suddenly wondered what it was like to grow up here. He stole a glance at his rival walking beside him. "So..." Ash started.

"You have to stay away from Gary." Paul said.

Ash looked at him as they continued to walk. "What?" He asked.

Paul stopped on the sidewalk, making Ash stop with him. "I mean, for right now." Paul said. Ash blinked, still completely confused. "My parents...well my mom anyways, thinks you're 'cheating' on me with him." Ash's eyes widened. "And dad is getting suspicious about us. That's why he was asking you all those questions this morning. Dawn and Brock walked in the back door and overheard everything, including what they were talking about after you left. And I walked in when they were talking about you and Gary." The mauve haired boy explained.

"That's not good." Ash said thoughtfully.

Paul nodded. "That's why I made us have this 'date'. I figured Dad would get less suspicious about us if we 'wanted' to spend time alone together. Unfortunately, I made it up on the spot so I have nothing planned out to actually do." He said with a shrug.

"Oh it's cool." Ash replied.

"Since we have a few hours to kill, is there anything you'd like to do?"

"Oh well, no not real-" Ash's voice was cut off by his stomach growling. Paul arched his eyebrow and Ash flushed covering his stomach with his hand. "Um, I uh-" It growled again and Paul had to fight laughter at Ash's embarrassed expression.

"Ok, I think we'll start off with something to eat then." Paul said with a small smile. Ash, still cherry red, nodded slightly. "Come on, I know a perfect place." Paul told him, took his hand, and started walking. Ash blushed even more when he looked down at their clasped hands.

The two walked down the street until they came to café. "It's not a very big place, but the food is good. They have all kinds so you should be able to find something you'll like." Paul told him. Ash nodded and the two walked in.

When they got in they saw a young woman standing behind the hostess stand looking through a menu. She looked up, saw the duo, and smiled. "Hello, welcome!" She exclaimed.

Paul nodded while they walked up to her. "Is Edgar here?" He asked.

"Yes he is. Would you like me to get him for you?" She questioned. Paul nodded. "Who should I say is asking for him?"

"Paul Harper." The mauve haired replied. She nodded and walked away into the kitchen.

"Who's Edgar?" Ash questioned.

"The owner." Paul answered. "I used to come here when I was kid and he'd always give me free food and stuff. He's also the chef and one hell of cook."

Ash nodded. "That's cool."

The two stood in silence for a fee minutes before they heard a voice call out. "Paul!" They both looked and saw a tall man with dark hair in a white chef suit walking towards them. "How are you?" He asked when he walked up to them putting a hand out.

"I'm good." Paul said shaking his hand with a smile. He really was glad to see Edgar again. This man was more a father to him than his own. Paul held great respect for him.

"Well it's good to hear. I haven't seen you in years. You look different, you know." Edgar said.

"That's what Mr. Lee said. I don't see how, but I'll take your word for it." Paul told him.

"Haha, you do that then." He said with a laugh. He then noticed Ash...and really took notice of their clasped hands. He raised his eyebrow with a smile. "And who is this?"

Paul, who was still actually smiling, introduced the two. "This is Ash, my boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?" He asked. Paul and Ash both nodded. "Well it's nice to meet you." He said.

"You too, sir." Ash greeted shaking his hand.

"I have to say, I never thought I'd meet someone who could actually put up with our Paul here." Edgar told the raven haired trainer.

Pink rose to Paul's cheeks and Ash laughed. "Yea well, all those little things about him that most people wouldn't enjoy I actually find amusing." Ash said truthfully. Paul arched his eyebrow.

"Well, I'm glad. If you found someone to love you despite all your little quirks, you'd better hold onto him. You'll never find another one." Edgar joked.

"Thanks." Paul said sarcastically. Ash and Edgar laughed.

"Well, I take it you two would like to eat, yes?" Edgar asked.

"Yea, the boyfriend here is hungry." Paul said. Ash blushed.

"Well come on. Let's get you guys seated and let your boyfriend here order so he can eat." Edgar said walking towards the seats. Paul, who was still holding onto Ash's hand, walked behind him and led Ash through the café. Edgar stopped at a small booth meant for two people and Paul raised his eyebrow. "Well it's not like I'd forget." Edgar told him.

"No, of course not." Paul said. Ash looked between the two confused. As Paul and Ash sat down, he explained. "I used to sit here when I was kid." Ash nodded in understanding.

"Now tell me, Ash, what kind of foods do you like?" Edgar asked.

"Oh I like everything." Ash told him.

"Alright then, and I'm assuming you still have the same tastes?" He asked Paul who nodded. "Very good, I'm going to make you two something extremely special then." Edgar told them.

"Sounds great. Thank you." Paul told him. Edgar nodded and was about to walk away but Ash stopped him.

Edgar looked at him. "Um, I'm allergic to celery so I can't eat it. I have horrible reactions when I do so, uh-"

"No problem, I won't be using any for what I have in mind." He told Ash. The trainer nodded. "I'll get someone to come and get you your drinks." He said. The two nodded and he walked back into the kitchen.

"You're allergic to celery?" Paul questioned.

"Yea, I have been my whole life." Ash told him.

"But didn't Brock cook a soup with celery in it?" Paul asked.

"Yea, he does when there are other people around. He adds the celery last and makes me a bowl before hand. When it's just us traveling he doesn't add it. He's never seen the reaction I have when I eat it but my mom's told him it's bad."

"Can I get you your drinks?" A young blonde woman asked. The boys turned their heads.

"Coke." Paul said. The girl nodded and looked at Ash.

"Same, please." He said. She nodded and walked away.

"How bad are your reactions?" Paul questioned.

"Um, well, the last time I had it was in the hospital for almost a week." Ash told him. Violet eyes widened.

"What happened?" As Paul asked this, the girl came back and sat their drinks down. They both nodded politely at her.

Ash shrugged. "Couldn't breathe. Throat got closed up, I had a rash...you know, normal allergy reactions."

"Hm, well, I'm glad you're ok." Paul replied without thinking while taking a sip of his coke. Ash arched his eyebrow. Paul noticed the look. "What?"

Ash smiled and shook his head. "Nothing." He answered sipping on his own drink. Paul arched his eyebrow. Ash looked up at him. The two stared at one another for a few moments.

"I like your eyes." Paul told Ash.

Ash lightly blushed. "My eyes?" He asked.

"Yea." Paul replied not faltering his gaze. "At first glance you'd think they're brown."

Ash shifted his eyes. "They are brown." He said with a teasing smile.

Paul shook his head. "Not if you look closer. They're a real beautiful amber color."

Pink turned to red. "Well, if you say so."

"I do." Paul told him chuckling at Ash's embarrassment.

Ash knew that was why so he tried to turn the embarrassment. "Well I'm not the only one with beautiful eyes." Paul arched his eyebrow. "You have such an amazing color."

"I do?" Paul questioned.

Ash nodded. "Yea, they look like amethyst."

Paul then blushed himself. "Well, thanks." Ash just smiled brightly at him. The two silenced themselves in an awkward silence for a few minute, before Paul couldn't resist anymore. "Do you like Gary?" He asked.

Ash looked at him. "Well yea, he's my best friend." Paul face-palmed.

"I meant, you know..."

"More than friends?" Ash finished for him with a laugh. Paul nodded. Ash chuckled and shook his head. "No, not more than friends." Paul felt relief wash through him. "But I will be honest, I did. For a long time in fact." Paul looked at him. "When we were growing up, Gary was sort of my protector I guess, and so I think I naturally started liking him. It was never really more than just a crush, but it did last a while." Ash then shrugged. "When I didn't see him for about two years, it sort of went away on it's own."

"Makes sense I guess." Paul replied. He still didn't like the fact he had had those feelings before. Ash nodded.

Ash then noticed Paul suddenly went silent. "You alright?" He asked the mauve haired boy. Paul looked at him.

"Yea just fine." Paul said. Ash was going to say more but Edgar came up to them with a platter.

"Here you two go. My special fettuccine alfredo." He said as he put it on the table in front of the couple.

"Thanks Edgar." Paul told the chef. Ash nodded.

"Not a problem you two. I hope you enjoy." He said.

"We will, thank you." Ash told him with a smile. Paul nodded. The chef nodded as well and walked away. "Wow, smells good."

"Trust me, with Edgar, it is." Paul told him. Ash nodded.

*Hour later*

"Thanks again!" Ash said as he and Paul walked out the door of the small café.

"Not a problem! You two come back soon!" Edgar told them.

"We will." Paul said. The door closed behind them and the two started walking down the street.

"You were totally right." Ash said. "He is one heck of a cook."

"I told you." Paul replied. He then thought about what Ash said and chuckled.

"What?" The raven haired boy questioned.

"It's just weird to hear 'heck' instead of 'hell'." Paul answered.

"Just because I don't like cursing?" Ash asked.

"You didn't seem to have a problem with it a couple of days ago." He told him.

"Yes, well, I was pissed off. They were hurting you." Ash said with a small blush looking away.

"Still, it's just funny now." Paul said. "And thanks again for that."

"Huh? For what?"

"Helping me. I'd have a lot more than this bruise on my side if it wasn't for you." Paul told him.

"Oh well, yea, no problem." Ash said sheepishly.

Paul nodded. "Well, since we have a few more hours to kill, anything else you'd like to do?"

Ash was about to say something when he suddenly stopped on the sidewalk staring ahead.

Paul stopped, surprised. "What? What's wrong?" He asked now concerned.

Ash smiled. "I know exactly what we can do!" He exclaimed. Paul arched his eyebrow. "Come on!" Ash grabbed Paul's hand, running down the street and into a building at the end of the block.

When they got inside, Paul's eyes widened. "Tell me you're joking." He said.

Ash shook his head. "Nope." He then looked at Paul. "It'll be fun." He told him.

Paul looked at the skating rink in front of him. "Oh, yea…fun…" He said sarcastically.

"Oh come on, we have to do something for a while anyways." He said. "Let's go get some skates." He tried to pull Paul with him to the skate rental booth, but he pulled out of the grip. Ash looked at him.

"You go ahead. I'll watch." He told the older trainer.

"Oh come on you party pooper. We can have fun." He told him grabbing his hand again. Paul pulled away again and looked away when Ash looked at him.

"I can't." Paul said.

Ash cocked his head in confusion. "Of course you can. We just have to rent skates."

"No, I…I can't. I uh, don't know how to." Paul confessed embarrassedly. Surely Ash would think he was pathetic. Who can't even skate?

Ash's mouth formed an 'o' but he then smiled. He grabbed Paul's hand again. "That's ok," Ash told him. "I can teach you!" He said pulling the mauve haired boy towards the booth.

Violet eyes widened. "Uh, I'm good, really." He said. Unfortunately, he was speaking to deaf ears as Ash still pulled him along.

They reached the booth and Ash proceeded to rent the skates. "We'll need two." Ash told the guy behind the counter.

"What sizes?" The guy questioned.

"Seven and..."He turned to the younger boy. "Paul, what size are you?"

Paul shook his head. "Eight, but it doesn't matter. I'm not going." The guy smirked and went to get the skates. Paul tried to call after him but Ash stopped him.

"You'll be fine." Ash told him.

"No, no way. I'm not doing it Ash." He said in defiance. Ash glared at him. Paul glared back. "It's not happening. You are not getting me on that rink."

*Five minutes later*

"I hate you." Paul said gruffly as he held onto the older teen, desperately trying to keep his balance as he was pulled onto the wood floor.

"Yea, yea. You hate the world." Ash said with a roll of his eyes and a wave of his hand. "Now come on, just hold on to the wall until you get the hang of it." Ash told him.

Paul groaned as he pushed his hands against the wall. "This is ridiculous. How the heck do people find entertainment out of this?"

"Because it's fun once you learn how to do it. And now who's changed their cursing?" Ash said with a smirk.

Paul lightly blushed. "You said you didn't like it."

Ash blinked. Paul stopped cursing for him? "Thanks." He said. Paul shrugged. Unfortunately, the action made him lose his balance and almost fall backwards. He closed his eyes and prepared to feel the impact, but it never came. He opened his eyes and saw Ash holding onto him with a smile. "You honestly think I'm going to let you fall?" He asked chuckling. Paul lightly blushed. Ash was making it extremely difficult for Paul not to like him. Ash pushed him straight up on his feet again. "Now go slow." He told the younger trainer.

Paul sighed and started moving slowly, still holding onto the wall. He almost slipped again and instinctively took hold of Ash's hand. The raven haired trainer helped him move along. After a few minutes, Paul was starting to get the hang of it. "This, this isn't so bad."

"I told you." Ash said. "Now come on." He pulled Paul away from the wall.

Said trainer's eyes widened. "Wait, I can't-"

"It's ok, I've got you." Ash said wrapping an arm around the mauve haired boy's middle.

Paul grabbed onto him and let Ash lead him. After another few moments, Ash let go of his middle and skated in front of the teen. He grabbed onto Paul's hands, not noticing the red rising to his rival's cheeks, leading him around the rink. "I…I guess this is, sorta fun." Paul said relaxing.

Ash laughed. "I told you. You've got to learn to trust me." He told Paul.

'Trusting is the hardest thing though.' Paul thought. He looked at the raven haired trainer. He lightly smiled. 'He's different though. I think I can trust him.'

"You ready to go a little faster?" Ash asked. Paul looked around at everybody else. Ash glanced as well and then realized Paul's apprehension. "Who cares what the heck they think?" Paul looked back at him. "It doesn't matter. Let people have their opinions. You and your friends know the truth and that's all that matters. It's just you and me right now."

Paul smiled. "You're right. Yea, let's…let's go a little faster." Ash smiled back, held onto his hands a little tighter, and lead them going faster. Paul was a little worried of Ash going backwards though. "How do you do that?" He questioned.

"Experience. I've been skating since I was like three." Ash told him.

"Long time." Paul commented. Ash nodded.

"You think you're ready to try it without me?" Ash noticed the apprehension in his eyes. "I'll stay right beside you." Paul took a breath and then nodded. Ash let go of his hands and let Paul go on his own. Paul went slow at first but picked up speed as he got more confident. "See, you're getting the hang of it." Ash said skating right next to him.

"A little." Paul said not averting his gaze from in front of him. More time passed and soon the Veilstone trainer was skating with ease. "I have to say, you're one hel-heck of a teacher." Paul said. Ash laughed.

"Whatever you say." Ash told him. "And Paul?" Said trainer took a quick glance at him. "I don't expect you to change without time." Paul shrugged. "But thanks for trying."

"Yea, well." Paul said. He looked at Ash and did a double take, finding he was unable to look away. The lights in the rink were all different colors and as they flashed on the Pallet trainer, he found it completely mesmerizing. Ash cocked his head.

"You alright?" Ash asked. Paul was about to nod but he didn't have time. He wasn't paying attention to his skating so ended up slipping knocking not only himself down, but Ash as well. The two ended up tangled up on the ground together, Ash on his back and Paul landing on top of him.

"Are you two alright?" A woman asked as she skated up to them.

Both opened their eyes and looked up at her. "We're fine." They chorused. They looked at one another and both started laughing. The woman smiled and skated away. They got untangled and Ash got up, then pulled Paul up with him.

"You ok?" Ash asked.

"Yea, fine. You?" Ash nodded. The two then glanced around and saw everyone was looking at them.

"You as ready to get out of here as I am?" Ash questioned. Paul nodded.

Ten minutes later, the two were walking out both rubbing a sore spot on their bodies, both taking notice it was now dark. "So, what adventure are you going to drag me on now?" Paul asked jokingly.

Ash laughed. "Whatever you want. I don't know what's around here."

"That didn't stop you from finding the only skating rink in the city and dragging me there." He said with amusement. Ash shrugged as they continued to walk. Paul looked ahead and remembered exactly where they were. "Do you like ice cream?" He suddenly asked the raven haired trainer.

"Of course. Who doesn't?" Ash replied.

Paul thought about it for a second then shrugged. "Alright well, then you'll love this place." Paul said. Ash followed him to the small shop and walked in. Twenty minutes, they walked out with their treats in their hands and continued their walking.

"You're right again, this is delicious." Ash commented.

"Aren't I always?" Paul smirked.

Ash looked at him and smirked back. "Obviously not. You were wrong about skating." Paul opened his mouth to object but then closed it knowing Ash was right.

Paul then looked around and saw a park ahead of them. "You want to just relax for a bit?" He asked Ash as he gestured to the park.

"Sure."

The duo walked to the park and sat down under a large tree. They continued to eat in a comfortable silence. When Paul was finished, he laid down on the grass and looked up at the sky. Ash did the same. "It's nice here in Veilstone." Ash commented.

Paul looked at him. "What's Pallet like?" He asked.

"Oh, well, it's really peaceful." Ash replied turning his own head to look at the other trainer. "Since it's a small town there isn't much excitement, but it's a good place to grow up."

"It must have been really cool to know Professor Oak your whole life."

"It is, but you have to remember, he may be a famous professor to you, but to me, he's like family. I don't see him as someone famous. I just see him as a second grandfather." Ash answered.

"Makes sense." The two laid there for a while when Paul felt himself getting sleepy. 'I guess learning how to skate takes more energy than I thought. Guess we should get going.' He thought. He was about to tell this to Ash when he felt the other trainer scoot closer to him and rest his head on his own chest. Paul blushed but put his arm around Ash's waist. He closed his eyes. Man, could he ever get used to this.

"Paul?" Ash's sleepy voice called.

"Hm?"

"Are you still going to hate me after this whole thing is over?" He asked uncertain.

Paul opened his eyes, wondering how exactly to answer that. He decided to answer with a question. "Well, what about you? Are you going to still hate me?"

Ash chuckled. "I've never hated you." Paul looked down as Ash looked up to meet his gaze. "It's true. I hated you training style but I've never hated you." He told him.

"So what makes you think I've ever hated you?" Paul asked.

"Well I…"

Paul chuckled. "No Ash, I've never hated you. I hated your constant preaching, not you."

"Guess we both have things we don't like about each other."

Paul nodded. "We just have opposing view on things."

"Yea well, you know how the saying goes," Ash said with a yawn. He then snuggled deeper into Paul's chest and closed his eyes, going to sleep. "Opposites attract."

Paul closed his eyes and smiled as he too fell asleep. "Very true."

Yay! I got their date done! And yes, I know, Paul is completely OOC but I figure with Ash he's supposed to be. After all, love makes you do crazy things, right? Right…..um, ok, so there will be at least two more chapters probably three. And maybe an epilogue. I think I'll do one…I have an idea for one…I don't know. Tell me what you guys think. If I should or shouldn't do one. Either way, I'm posting this than going to bed. I shall update soon. I'm getting excited about the ending. I've had the end planned out in my head since I started this fic and I can't wait to get it up to see what everyone thinks. So hopefully you'll hear from me soon.


	11. Champions

OMG, wow, ok, first off, I am soooooo sorry this took so long. I've been so busy around the house and packing and stuff. My mom is moving to Florida and so I am moving in with my dad but he's on vacation so I can't move anything yet, unfortunately. I'm also taking care of his house and birds and stuff, while I am also watering plants for my neighbors. Hopefully I can spend more time writing this week….so yea, sorry again for late update but here ya go.

**Please read: I know Drake is just an elite four member but in my story Drake beat the Jhoto champion and took his place. I know in the game it's Lance but hey, you have to one for each region. And also, I needed for Ash to know the other champion as well. So yes, I know it's not really correct, but hey, that's why it's called fanfiction, right? Ok, yea, here's chapter 11.**

Favor For A Friend? 11: Champions

"Morning Reggie!" Said breeder looked up from setting the outside table and saw Gary, Brock, and Dawn, with Pikachu on Gary's shoulder, walking up to him. He smiled and waved when he set the plates on the table.

"Morning guys!" Reggie exclaimed as they stopped by the table. "How'd you guys sleep?" He questioned.

"Great." Brock answered. "And you?"

"Good." He said with a nod. "Mom and Dad are out right now helping set up the festival tomorrow, so it'll just be us for a little while."

"Festival?" Dawn asked. Gary and Brock also seemed confused.

"Oh yes, after the Champions Conference, it's custom to have a festival in the city that they go to. Mom and Dad are expecting everyone to go, but it's not like it won't be fun." Reggie explained.

"I bet, it sounds fun. I think a festival would be a great way to spend tomorrow." Brock said.

"Well, it's tomorrow night, actually. It starts about five and ends around midnight." Reggie told the three teens.

"Sounds good." Gary replied. He looked at the younger breeder and coordinator. "I think it's a good idea. It could be a lot of fun for all of us."

"Oh yea, I say we most definitely go." Brock said. Dawn nodded.

"Great, my parents will be glad." Reggie told them. The trio nodded. "Anyways, I have breakfast ready so we can eat if you guys are ready."

"Oh yea, I'm starved." Dawn said enthusiastically.

Reggie nodded and then he felt a tug at his pants. He looked down and saw Pikachu at his feet. "Pikapi?" Reggie tilted his head, slightly confused.

"Pikapi? Oh he means Ash." Gary said with a laugh. "He's asking where Ash is."

"Oh." Reggie said.

"Speaking of which, where IS Ash?" Dawn asked. Brock and Gary were also curious.

Reggie shrugged. "No idea. Ash and Paul never came home last night."

The trio blinked. "Say what!" They exclaimed together.

"Pika!"

"They didn't come home." Reggie repeated.

"And you didn't think to send anyone out to find them?" Gary asked.

"Of course not. They'll be fine. Both of them had all their Pokémon…well besides Pikachu here. Between the two of them, I'm positive they can take care of themselves." Reggie told them.

"He does have a point." Brock said. "I know Paul can easily handle himself. Ash as well. Together, they should be fine. I'm just wondering what they've been doing all night."

"Yea and like, how is Paul handling it. He usually can't stand to be in the same room with Ash, I just figured he'd try and get away from him as soon as possible." Dawn said.

This comment made Reggie laugh. Both Brock and Dawn looked at one another confused. "That may have been true a little while ago but believe me, Paul likes the alone time he's getting with Ash right now." Reggie told them.

Brock and Dawn opened their mouths to object but Gary stepped in. "He's right. There's no doubt he's actually enjoying what time he has with Ash. And Ash is most definitely enjoying it too." He said.

"Really?" Reggie inquired.

"Oh yea. I was talking to him yesterday while we were training and I can bet he enjoys this alone time with your little brother." The researcher said with a wink. Pikachu nodded in agreement. Brock shook his head with a smile, understanding but Dawn still seemed confused.

"Wait, what?"

The three boys laughed. "Nothing Dawn, it's all good. Just trust me when I say they're not going to kill each other." Reggie said. She shrugged. "Well, shall we let out our Pokémon and eat?" Everyone nodded and proceeded to let their Pokémon out of their Pokeballs while Reggie went inside and brought out all the food. After they got all the Pokémon fed and then sat down to eat themselves, about an hour and half past. The four then sat around the table and were just finishing up a conversation when they heard a voice yell.

"Yes!" The four quickly looked over to where the fence was and saw Ash had jumped it and was standing in a victory pose. "Ha, I win!" He exclaimed. "Admit it, I'm faster!" For a moment the four teens at the table were confused at who he was talking to but then saw Paul jump the fence on the side of the house as well.

"The only reason you were faster is because I'm still injured from falling yesterday. And I believe it was YOUR fault." Paul told him breathing a little harder than normal. "Last time I ever let you teach me anything."

"Oh please, it was you who wasn't paying attention. And you had fun, you know it, so there." Ash countered.

Paul looked like he was going to say more but didn't get a chance to. "PIKAPI!" The two trainers turned their heads just in time to see Pikachu running up to Ash.

Ash instantly smiled, turned, and opened arms to catch the electric mouse. "Pikachu!" Ash exclaimed as he caught his partner.

"Pikapi…" Pikachu said nuzzling his trainer. He then proceeded to lick the raven haired boy's face as well.

"Haha, Pikachu!" Ash laughed. Paul had watched the whole thing and had to smile at how cute they were.

"Well good morning to you two." Paul turned his head towards the voice as Ash looked up from Pikachu and saw the other four sitting at the table watching them. "Do we get an explanation as to where you two have been the whole night?" Reggie asked with a suggestive smile while the two trainers walked up to the group.

"We fell asleep at the park." Paul answered.

Ash nodded. "Yea, it was kind of embarrassing waking up to an old couple out for a walk." He said with a laugh. "It was worth it though, Paul's face was priceless." Pikachu looked on the table and fought the urge for the ketchup bottle he saw.

"Yea…priceless…" Paul said sarcastically.

The four others laughed. "So I take you two had fun, then?" Reggie asked.

"Before or after Ash tried to kill me?" Paul questioned.

"Kill you?" Reggie questioned with an arched eyebrow.

"Oh please, it was not my fault you fell. You weren't paying attention and you made me fall as well." Ash told his rival. Pikachu licked his lips as he stared at the red liquid.

"Whatever, you made me get on the thing in the first place." Paul replied.

"Wait, what happened?" Reggie asked. The others seemed curious as well.

The two trainers looked at the other four. "Ash here decided to try and kill me last night by teaching me how to skate."

Ash rolled his eyes. "He's mad because he wasn't paying attention and fell. And then knocked me down as well." He looked at Paul. "You were doing just fine until you got distracted."

"Yes, well someone kept talking to me." Paul told him.

"I was talking to you the whole time! You stopped focusing…totally not my fault." Ash countered. Paul was also going to counter but Reggie stepped in.

"Alright, alright." Reggie said standing up and putting his hands in front of each teen. "Geez, I think this whole 'couple' thing is going to your heads. I mean seriously, you two couldn't argue any better if you WERE a couple." Paul and Ash instantly flushed and Gary and Brock snickered in the background. "I do have to ask, Ash," Reggie said turning to the raven haired trainer. "How in the world did you get Paul out on the skating rink? I was never able to do it before."

"He dragged me." Paul answered with a frown. Ash just rolled his eyes as Pikachu jumped from his arms to the table and grabbed the ketchup bottle.

"Well, all I have to say is you're in way deeper than you originally thought, Paul." Reggie told his little brother with a smile.

Paul pinched his nose between his eyes. "Tell me about it." Reggie laughed. Ash gave his rival a questioning look. Paul glanced at him. "Nothing." He told the raven haired boy. Ash shrugged. Pikachu's ears perked up and the electric mouse looked up and smiled instantly.

All the sudden there was loud roar above the group. Everyone looked up in time to see a flamethrower come out of nowhere and hit Ash directly. For a moment, everyone was frozen in surprise but it didn't last as Paul reacted quickly. As the flamethrower stopped he grabbed one of his Pokeballs and got ready to throw it. He stopped when Ash happily cried out. "Charizard!" The others watched as the large dragon tackled Ash with a happy roar.

Both Gary and Brock stood up instantly with smiles on their faces. "Charizard!" The two exclaimed together. Reggie and Dawn also stood.

"Wait, Charizard?" Paul asked.

"Yea, that's Ash's Charizard, the one he keeps at Characific Valley in Jhoto." Brock explained. They all watched as the large dragon licked Ash's face while the raven haired boy laughed.

After a few moments, Charizard climbed off his trainer and Ash stood up and hugged him. "What in the world are you doing here, Charizard?" Ash asked happily. It let out a roar but before Ash could decipher other voices called out over them.

"Ash!" Everyone looked up and saw a red haired man on the back of a Dragonite and blue haired woman on the back of a Dragonair. Ash smiled instantly and called back to them as they jumped off their Pokémon and landed a little ways away with their Pokémon gracefully landing beside them.

"Lance! Clair!" Ash cried running towards the dragon trainers. Behind him, Brock instantly went into his 'girl love' mode and went straight to Clair running in front of Ash.

"Oh my lovely Clair! You look as fabulous as ever! I say we should go-" The breeder was cut off by Croagunk's poison jab and everyone sweatdropped as the frog pulled Brock away.

"Well this is certainly a surprise." Lance said with a smile as he walked up to Ash holding out a hand for the young trainer to shake. Ash turned and nodded.

"Yea it is." Ash replied shaking the champion's hand.

"It's been a long time." Lance told him as he pulled his hand away.

"Very long." Clair said walking up to shake Ash's hand as well. Ash nodded with a smile.

"Too long." He told the dragon trainers. "I know why you're here Lance, but why are you here, Clair?" Ash asked.

"Just to help out." She answered. "I'm here to show off some demonstrations to the other champions on favor for Lance. Your Charizard here is here with me to help out with the demonstrations as well."

Ash turned to look as his dragon. "Awesome. That's great Charizard. Thanks for helping them out." Charizard let out a happy roar.

"Yes, he's been a great help. You sure raised yourself a wonderful Pokémon, Ash." Lance told him. Brock then recovered and walked up to the duo. "Hello Brock." Lance said shaking the breeder's hand.

"Hey Lance." Brock greeted.

Gary walked up behind Ash. "It's nice to see you again, Gary." Clair said.

"You too, Clair." Gary replied.

Ash looked at him. "You've met?"

Gary gave him a playful glare. "Of course. You didn't think I got the Rising Badge without meeting the gym leader did you?"

"Oh yea." Ash laughed. "Guess I've gotten so you being a researcher, I almost forget you participated in leagues." He told the brunette. Gary rolled his eyes.

"Hey Lance, Clair!" Everyone looked up once again to see a young man on a Skaramory and an older man on a Salamance landing. Lance and Clair nodded as the two men jumped off their Pokémon and walked up to the group. Both men smiled instantly as they saw Ash.

"Ash Ketchum!" The younger man exclaimed.

"Hi Steven!" Ash greeted shaking his hand.

"It's great to see you, Ash." The old man also greeted and shook the young trainer's hand as well.

"Hey Drake, long time no see." Ash replied. Steven and Drake also greeted Brock.

Paul, Reggie, and Dawn stood there with dropped jaws. Reggie leaned over to his brother. "When in the world did Ash meet all the Champions?" He whispered. Paul, still in complete shock of the scene in front of him, just shrugged.

"What's going on?" Drake asked.

"Ash's Charizard sensed him and came flying as fast as possible." Lance told him.

Steven and Drake looked surprised. "You mean this is YOUR Charizard?" Steven asked.

Ash nodded. "Yup."He said putting his hand on Charizard's chest. "Raised him from a Charmander, right pal?" Charizard let out a happy and affirmative growl.

"Wow, I have to say, I'm impressed." Drake said. "This Charizard is amazingly strong. You've done a great job raising it."

"Thanks Drake." Ash replied with a proud smile. Charizard also roared happily, proud of himself.

The Champions smiled at one another, but then took notice of the others. Ash noticed their glances went towards his friends and turned to them. "Oh right, these are my friends." Ash told the three champions and gym leader.

"This is Dawn, a coordinator, Reggie, a breeder here in Veilstone, and this Paul, my rival. And of course my friend Gary." Ash introduced.

"It's very nice to meet all of you." Lance said.

"You as well." Reggie said. "It's an honor." Dawn, Gary, and Paul all nodded.

The champions laughed. "Well thank you." Steven said.

Lance then glanced at Gary again. "Hey, you're Professor Oak's grandson, am I right?" Gary nodded.

"Yes sir." He said.

"I knew it. I also remember seeing you battle Ash in the Jhoto League." He told the young researcher.

"Yea, that was quite a battle." Gary said with a smile.

"Tell me about it." Ash said with a laugh. The two Pallet trainers shared a glance. Paul noticed and lightly scowled.

'Damn, they have so much history.' Paul thought to himself.

"I was quite sure at the beginning of the final battle Gary was going to win, but you came up from behind and pulled an amazing victory." Clair told Ash.

Paul was surprised. 'Ash beat Gary? But he said he had lost to Electivire…a different battle, maybe?' He thought.

"Yea, Ashy-boy does that." Gary said.

"I watched it as well and it was quite a strategy for you to pull." Lance said. "I never would have thought of something like that."

"Yea, well, I think outside the box sometimes." Ash said sheepishly.

"It was a battle to see. Charizard beating a Blastoise…it was sure something to behold." Drake said.

"Charizard beat Blastoise?" Paul questioned more to himself than anyone else but the others heard it.

"Oh yea, Ash came up with an amazing strategy to get closer to Blastoise and ended up winning." Steven told the mauve haired boy. Though Drake and Steven didn't watch it live, they had seen it later while watching it on rerun.

"Wow." Paul muttered. "What did you do?" He asked his rival.

"Oh uh, I got Charizard to melt the rock field and I knew Gary would cool the field down with a Hydro Pump so it would create steam and Charizard would be able to get close without Gary or Blastoise knowing until it was too late." Ash explained.

"That's genius." Dawn said.

"Really genius." Reggie complimented.

Ash blushed. "Thanks." He said.

"So, how in the world did Ash meet all of you?" Gary asked.

"Oh well, I met Ash in Jhoto when Team Rocket was using a machine to make Pokémon evolve and he helped me stop them and then helped me capture my red Gyrados. We then met up again in Hoenn and he helped me defeat Team Aqua and Team Magma while saving Kyogre and Groudon." Lance explained. Everyone looked surprised at this new information.

"I met up with Ash on Dewford Island while searching for stones." Steven said.

"And I met up with him also in Hoenn and had a battle with him. A very good battle I must admit." Drake added. Ash glanced at everyone's, except Brock's, surprised expressions. He sweatdropped as they looked at him with the expressions.

"I have lots of exciting adventures?" Ash tried.

"I'll say." Reggie said. The Champions and Gym leader laughed.

Just then the back door to the house opened. "Hey kids, we need to know if you're planning on going to the festival tomorrow." Everyone turned to Laura and Steve as they walked out.

"Oh, sorry to interrupt." Steve said noticing the other four people. He then noticed they were the regions champions. "You three are the champions of Kanto, Hoenn, and Jhoto." He said surprised. The three champions nodded.

"It's kind of shocking to see such important people in our backyard." Laura told them.

"Right," Ash said. "This is Steve and Laura. They're Reggie and Paul's parents. This is their house."

"Oh it's very nice to meet you." Lance greeted. The others also greeted them openly.

"And it's an honor to meet you." Steve said walking up to the group.

"If you don't mind me asking, why are you in our backyard?" Laura asked.

"Oh uh, Ash's Charizard is helping us and he sensed Ash so we followed him here. It's a good thing. We haven't seen Ash in years." Clair said.

"You all are friends of Ash's?" Steve questioned quite shocked. This boy was more special than he realized. They nodded.

"Yes, we all met Ash over the course of his journey." Drake said.

"Wow, impressive." Laura said.

"Well, we can't stay. We just came back to get a few things and see if you kids are planning on the festival tomorrow." Steve said looking at the teens.

Ash and Paul seemed confused but the others openly understood. "Oh yea, you can count all of us in." Reggie said.

"Very good." Steve said.

Just then there was a very loud roar above them. Everyone looked up once again and saw a large Garchomp coming in for a landing. The whole group watch as Cynthia jumped off and landed in front of her dragon. "Hey I was wondering where everybody went." She said to the champions and gym leader.

"Sorry, had to follow Charizard to his trainer." Lance said gesturing to Ash. Cynthia then took notice of Ash and the others.

"Oh, Ash, wow. Brock, Dawn, and Gary are here too. This is certainly a surprise." She said.

"Hi Cynthia." Ash and Dawn chorused.

"Nice to see you again." Gary said. She nodded in agreement.

Brock ran in front of everyone and flirted with Cynthia. She sweatdropped. "Nice to see you too Brock." The group watched again as Croagunk Poison Jabbed it's trainer and pulled him away. Ash sighed and shook his head. He'll never change. Cynthia then took notice of Paul standing behind Ash and Gary. "Hello again, Paul." She greeted.

Paul nodded being his usual silent self. "You know our Paul?" Cynthia looked at the woman who just spoke.

Paul noticed the slight confusion. "This is my mother, father, and brother." Paul said introducing his family to the Champion of Sinnoh.

"Oh very nice to meet you." She said with a smile. They all greeted her, equally happy.

"So you've all then, huh? Very cool." Steve said.

"Yes, I had a battle with Paul some time ago." Cynthia told his parents.

"Oh? And how did he do?" Laura asked. Paul sighed. 'Great, this would help with the moving thing, of course.' Paul thought sarcastically.

"Oh he was very good. I was quite impressed. He didn't win obviously but I can tell he is a very good trainer. And that was months ago. I know he's much stronger now." Cynthia told them. Paul looked up surprised. Why in the world did she say that? He was confused considering his loss was pathetic.

"Well, it's very cool to see such an important person know our son…and of course his boyfriend and friends as well." Steve said.

Ash, Paul, Gary, Brock, Reggie, and Dawn all panicked. "Boyfriend?" Cynthia asked.

"Well yes, it seems you know Ash as well." Laura said. Cynthia looked at Ash who smiled at her when their eyes made contact.

"Boyfriend?" She inquired.

"Uh, yea, you know, Paul and I have come quite a long ways, huh?" Ash said to the champion. Cynthia looked at Paul who just nodded with a small and fake smile of his own.

"Yea, Ash and I just, connected." Paul said putting his arm around Ash's waist in an affectionate way. She looked completely shocked at them. Reggie, Gary, Brock, and Dawn face-palmed. The other champions and gym leader also looked pretty surprised Ash had a boyfriend. They all thought he was too engrossed in his training to even try dating at the moment.

"Wait, I thought you said you two were rivals?" Lance said to Ash.

The parents looked at the raven haired trainer and Ash could feel their stares on his back. "Uh, we-we are. See, we're both training for the Sinnoh League and we both want to win, and we've been rivals. That's how we met, through you know, battling." Ash explained. He then added a very fake smile to the champions. They all arched their eyebrows.

"Yes, we thought it was pretty weird as well but whatever makes Paul happy." Laura said. The champions nodded.

"Well, we need to get going." Steve said. "We'll see you kids tonight. Oh and you guys may want to shopping. Everyone is wearing kimonos so you kids need to make sure you have one." The kids nodded. He looked at the champions. "It was very nice to meet you all. A great honor but we need to get back and help set up the booths and things." They all nodded.

"We'll see you kids later!" Laura called walking towards the gate.

"Bye!" The teens chorused. The two adults nodded and walked out the gate. Everyone watched where they disappeared for a few moments and when they heard the car start out front, Paul dropped his arm and the teens sighed in relief.

"That was close." Dawn said. Gary and Brock nodded. Ash and Paul looked one another both thinking the same thing.

"So, you two are dating?" Cynthia said still shocked at the news. They heard the car pull away and head down the street.

"No." Both Paul and Ash answered. The champions looked at one another again. The two sighed.

"Um, how about we explain everything?" Ash questioned.

"That would be a very good idea." Cynthia said.

Thirty minutes later, the story was complete and the champions and gym leader completely understood. "Well, that certainly is a reason to help out." Clair said.

Ash nodded. "Yea, I thought so too." He replied.

"Well, that certainly is interesting." Cynthia said.

"Why's it so interesting?" Dawn asked.

"Just because of their history." She replied gesturing to Ash and Paul who were sitting next to each other. They glanced at one another ands shrugged.

"Speaking of history…Ash, how is Chimchar doing?" Cynthia asked.

"Chimchar?" Ash blinked. Then he thought. 'That's right, she hasn't seen it since it's evolved!' "He's doing good but it's just…" He glanced at Paul who shrugged. "He's not Chimchar anymore."

"Oh so he evolved into Monferno then?" She questioned.

"Well, yes, but he's also evolved to Infernape too." Ash told her.

"Oh, very impressive." Cynthia said.

"You have an Infernape?" Lance asked Ash. The trainer nodded. "Very cool. I hear they are very strong Pokémon." Ash nodded again.

Ash then felt a nudge behind him. He turned to see Charizard pushing his head against his back. "What's up, Charizard?" Ash asked. Everyone looked at them. The dragon let out a roar and laid on the ground and moved his head towards his back. "Huh? Oh." Ash said instantly smiling. He jumped up off the ground and then jumped onto Charizard's back. "Alright Charizard, I'll go for a ride with you. Pikachu, come on!"

"Pika!" He chirped as he dropped the ketchup bottle and jumped off the table into Ash's arms.

"Alright Charizard, let's go!" Ash exclaimed happily. The group watched as Charizard let out another roar and instantly took off into the sky.

Paul watched in amazement at the speed of the dragon. 'That's one fast Charizard.' He thought. 'I have to admit, Ash has trained it well.'

"Wow, Charizard is so fast." Dawn said.

Gary nodded. "Charizard is one of Ash's best Pokémon. He's not only fast, but very powerful too. And very loyal."

"Yea, Charizard has beaten many great opponents, including an Articuno." Brock said.

Everyone looked at the breeder. "Ash's Charizard beat an Articuno?" Drake asked.

Brock nodded. "Back in the Kanto Battle Frontier. The first facility Ash was in was the Battle Factory and Noland, the frontier brain, befriended an Articuno and it was there visiting. Noland was giving Ash a choice of which Pokémon he wanted to battle and he chose Articuno. He called Liza and told her to send Charizard. It was a very good battle. Very impressive." Brock explained.

"Wow, it's going to be fun to battle him one day." Lance said. Everyone looked at him. "Oh I believe I'll be facing him in battle one day. He's a great trainer and I know he won't give up until his dreams come true. And I have faith I'll be seeing him win a few leagues." The red haired man told them. The other champions nodded. Paul looked up in the sky where Charizard was flying around with Ash. He couldn't believe he had so much faith put him. 'He's more than I ever thought.' He said to himself.

"Well, we should be going." Steven said standing. The other champions and Clair stood up as well. The rest stood up and they all shook hands.

"It was very nice meeting all of you." Lance said. Everyone agreed and said their goodbyes. They all jumped on their Pokémon. "We'll see you all later." The teens nodded and watched as they all flew up into the air. They watched as the champions and gym leader flew to Ash on Charizard.

"Hey Ash!" The trainer turned to see the champions flying toward him.

"Hey." Ash greeted with a smile.

"Having fun?" Lance asked.

"Of course!" He exclaimed happily. Charizard let out a roar.

"Well listen, we need to be going. We have details to do before the festival tomorrow night." Steven said. Ash nodded.

"Ok, uh, I guess I should land."

"No, no, we're done with Charizard and we were planning on sending him home but if he's happy here, I think it'd be great for you two to catch up." Clair said.

"Oh, cool. What do you say, Charizard? Want to stay and help me train for the Sinnoh League?" The dragon cried out again, happy to be able to stay longer with his trainer.

"Do tell me, how is Infernape, really?" Cynthia asked real quick.

"Perfect." Ash told her. "Since Paul and I are still most definitely battling in the league I didn't want to say everything, but Infernape has learned how to control blaze perfectly. We'll be hard to beat in the Sinnoh League now." Ash told her.

"Yes, I thought as much. Keep up the good work." She said.

"We'll see you soon, alright?" Drake said. Ash nodded.

"It was great seeing you all." Ash said.

"You as well. Train hard and know that I am rooting for you in the league." Lance said with a wink. Ash smiled brightly at him and nodded.

"Pika, pika!"

"Oh and good luck with the whole 'boyfriend' thing." He added.

"Thanks, I'll need it." Ash said with a laugh. He waved as the others flew off in the direction of the city. Ash stared after them for a moment but then looked at his dragon. "Come on, Charizard, I want to see some of your attacks!" Ash told the dragon. He cried out in response and took off towards the sky.

Paul watched on the ground as the champions took off and then Ash fly further up. He shuddered. How the heck he handled being so far up with just being on Charizard's back, he'd never understand. "He could easily fall." Paul said.

The other teens looked up at him from their conversation, looked up, and saw Charizard climbing even farther up into the sky.

"Ash trusts his Pokémon completely. He knows Charizard would never let anything happen to him." Brock said.

"Yea, he has this special bond with all of his Pokémon and they all trust him like he does them." Gary said. Paul shrugged and turned his attention back to the earth.

"Well, should we go shopping?" Dawn asked excitedly.

"Yes, but lets wait for Ash." Reggie said.

"Oh, Ash has one already so he won't need to go shopping for a kimono." Brock said. Reggie, Gary, and Paul looked surprised making the breeder laugh. "His mom sent him one not too long ago. It fits him good. He doesn't like shopping anyways, so he'll be alright. Though, we do want to tell him we are going."

"Yea but how? He's all the way up there." Dawn said.

The teens sat silently for a moment before Paul pulled out a Pokeball. The four others watched as Paul threw the ball and Toterra came out. "Use Leaf Storm at the sky." Paul commanded. The large tortoise nodded and released said attack. "If that doesn't get Ash's attention, I don't know what will."

The five waited but they didn't have to wait long. Ash flew straight down towards them. "What's up?" He asked.

"We have to go shopping for kimonos but I know you already have one so I figured you'd love the chance to stay and catch up with Charizard." Brock told him. Ash nodded. "Very cool. We'll be back later, ok?" Ash nodded.

"Alright, I'll be here." Ash told the group.

"Have fun." Gary said.

"I will. You guys too." Ash said. They nodded and walked to the front, locking the gate behind them. Charizard flew above the house and Ash watched as they climbed into the minivan and then drove off. "Alright, Charizard, let's go! Let's get some good training in!" Ash exclaimed.

"Pika, pikachu!" Pikachu chirped. Charizard roared and took off towards the forest.

End Chapter.

Ok, so here was chapter eleven. I don't know how it turned out….I hope it's ok. Not too bad. I don't know. There may be two or three chapters left…I haven't decided. And I think I will do an epilogue, just because I can lol. And I have something in mind for it. Anyways, sorry again it took so long. I apologize and will try harder to get the next chapter up soon.!


	12. Getting Closer

Ok so I shouldn't have any excuses as to why I'm posting so slow but I just got hired at a new job and have been having to wake up really early so I haven't been able to write at night. That's the usual time I do my writing so yea. And this chapter will be shorter than the others have been lately. It's going to just be a small filler chapter until chapter 13 where more events happen. And chapter 13 should actually be pretty long…so hopefully it'll make up for it in the next post. Plus, something major will happen in this chapter that is vital for the next one so I have to put this chapter up before I can write the following part. Anywho, on with reading and hopefully I shall get the last few chapters up sooner. Sorry for the wait -_-;

Favor For A Friend? 12: Getting Closer

"Ugh, thank goodness that's over." Paul said dropping a shopping bag on his bed. He looked at the clock on his nightstand and saw it was now two in the afternoon. 'Wow, glad I left when I did, or else I'd still be there with them.' The mauve haired boy thought. He had gotten sick of waiting for Dawn to actually pick something out so left his brother, Brock, and Gary to deal with her while he came home. He was tired when they had left and shopping with Dawn dragging them everywhere did not help his situation. Since he and Ash had been woken up early then gone to breakfast, he hadn't gotten as much sleep as he had wanted. 'Oh well, it was totally worth it to spend so much time with Ash alone.' "Speaking of said boy, where is he?" He questioned out loud.

He walked out of his room and down the hallway. He looked throughout the house but found nothing. He then went out the back door to see if he was around. He was just surprised at what he saw when he got out there.

"Water gun now!" Ash commanded. Buizel let out it's powerful water gun towards Charizard. "Block I Charizard!" Ash told the dragon. Charizard put out his hands and blocked the water gun with ease. "Great, now use Steel Wing!" The dragon took off the ground and headed straight to the water weasel. "Aqua Jet!"

"Bui, Bui!" The water type took off the ground and the two Pokémon collided in mid air and both were pushed back. Paul was shocked to see that Charizard was unaffected by the water attack.

'That Charizard is pretty unbelievable.' Paul thought.

"That was awesome guys!" Ash exclaimed running up to his Pokémon.

"Pika, pika!" Pikachu agreed. The water and fire types cried out proudly. Ash pet both Buizel and Charizard on the head.

"Thanks for helping us train, Buizel." Ash told him.

"Bui, Bui!" The weasel cooed.

"That really was pretty impressive." Ash and his Pokémon jolted around to face Paul who was walking up to them.

"Paul! I didn't know you guys were back yet." Ash said.

"We aren't." Paul told him. Ash gave him a confused looked and Paul smirked. "Your friends are stuck being dragged around by Dawn."

Ash laughed. "Yea, she gets carried away sometimes." Ash commented.

Paul looked at Charizard. "I'm quite impressed with this Charizard of yours."

Ash blinked. "Um, thanks."

"I like how it handled those water attacks." Paul told his rival. "And Buizel's attacks have gotten much more powerful since we last battled."

Ash nodded. "We've been training a lot."

"Bui, Bui!"

"Pikachu!"

"I can tell." The mauve haired boy commented. "I'd certainly like to watch Charizard in battle though."

"Well you'll get your chance." Ash told him with a smile.

"Oh?"

The raven haired trainer nodded. "I'm going to get Gary to battle with us. Charizard wants to battle Blastoise again and see how much stronger both of them have gotten. Since the Silver Conference, the two have had a little rivalry of their own." Ash explained to the Veilstone trainer.

"Well, that'll be a battle to see." Paul told him. "It'll be interesting to see a fire type beat a water type."

Ash nodded. Charizard nudged Ash's back. "What's up?" He asked his dragon. It let out a playful roar and gestured to Paul. Ash laughed. "Sure, I'll try."

"Try what?" Paul questioned confused.

"Well, it seems Charizard wants to take you for a ride." Ash told his rival with a smile.

Panic filled Paul. "Like, up in the air kind of ride?" Ash nodded. "Uh, no thanks. I'm good with my feet firmly planted on the ground."

"Don't tell me you're afraid of heights?" Ash teased playfully with a smirk.

"I-I most certainly am not." Paul stuttered looking away. "I just don't trust a Pokémon I barely know."

"Uh-huh." Ash said with a smirk. "Alright Charizard, let's go." Ash told the dragon. It bent down on the ground and Ash jumped on his back. Paul was surprised when Ash grabbed his wrist and pulled him forward, making him trip a little and land on the dragon. Charizard pushed the mauve haired boy on his back behind his trainer.

"Hey, wait a sec-!" Paul started but was cut off by Charizard taking off in the air. Instantly, Paul wrapped his arms around Ash's waist tightly. "Ash!" He exclaimed as they climbed through the air.

Ash laughed. "I thought you weren't afraid of heights." Ash teased.

Pink rose to Paul's cheeks. "I-I'm not, I just don't trust your dragon." He reasoned.

"Right, but you trust me so that's all that matters. I trust Charizard so it all works out." Ash explained.

"I'm not sure that's how it works…" Paul stated.

Ash shrugged. "Oh well, you're up here now so it doesn't matter." Paul glanced at how far they were off the ground and amethyst eyes widened. Paul tightened his grip around the smaller boy. Ash chuckled. "Come on, Charizard, let's go a little higher."

"What! Don't you think we're high enough!"

"Nope." Ash answered plainly. As the dragon climbed even higher, Paul squeezed his eyes shut and tightened his grip again. Ash felt his rivals grip. "You know, you could just admit you're afraid of heights, and then we could go lower." Ash told him.

"I'm not afraid!" Paul said in defiance. Unfortunately, he didn't see Charizard smirk. The dragon flipped in the air and Paul grabbed Ash tighter. "Ok, ok! I'd admit it, I admit it, please don't do that again!" He exclaimed. Ash laughed and Charizard was about to do it again but his trainer stopped him.

"Charizard, don't you dare. Paul admitted it, it's all good now." The dragon nodded.

"That's it? That's all you were trying to do?" The Veilstone trainer asked.

"Well that's not all. I wanted you to see this." Ash told him.

"See what?" Paul asked looking at him. Ash pointed towards the sky. Paul looked forward and gasped. The sky looked beautiful from in the air. "Wow, I've never seen it like this."

"It's beautiful, huh?" Paul nodded. "It's nice to see a different perspective of things; things you think couldn't be different or couldn't change…they really do have many ways of looking at them. All you have to do is find it." Ash explained.

Paul looked at Ash. 'He's right. I never noticed how amazing he was until I got a better and different view of him.'

"I'm so glad I was able to learn more about you, Paul." Ash said turning his head to look at the mauve haired boy. Paul looked at him over his shoulder. "You're a lot more than you seem and I'm so thankful I had this chance to get to know you."

The mauve haired boy smiled him. "Me too, Ash. I'm glad I've had this chance to get to know you too." The two stared at one another for a few more moments and didn't realize they were inching closer and closer to each other. "Ash, I-I…"

"Yes?" Ash whispered as the two got closer.

"I just wanted to tell you that I-" Paul was cut off by an explosion beneath them. Both Ash and Paul instantly jumped and looked down. "What was that?"

"I don't know…Charizard, get down there!" Ash commanded. The dragon let out a roar and headed straight for the ground. When they got closer, they saw a mechanical Blastoise and in it's hands held Pikachu and Buizel. Amber eyes widened. "Pikachu! Buizel!" Ash cried as Charizard started to land.

"Pikapi!"

"Bui!"

"What the hell is going on!" Paul exclaimed. The trainers heard laughter and then Team Rocket came out of the mouth of the machine. The three did their usual motto and laughed at the trainers.

"Team Rocket!" Ash yelled. Paul scowled at them as he and Ash jumped off of the large dragon and landed on the ground.

"Let his Pokemon go!" Paul told the trio.

"And what if we don't?" Jessie taunted.

Paul glared hotly at them and took out one of his Pokeballs. "Then you'll have to deal with me." He warned.

"Ooh, we're so scared!" James said sarcastically.

"You should be." Paul said. He threw a Pokeball and his Toterra came out. "Use Leaf Storm to break those arms!" Paul commanded his Pokemon.

The giant tortoise released it's attack but before it could hit the arms, the hydro canons on the Blastoise back shot out water and destroyed the Leaf Storm on contact. Violet eyes widened and the trio laughed.

"Aw too bad!" Meowth said laughing at the Veilstone trainer.

Ash glared at them. He then threw one of his Pokeballs in the air and his own Toterra came out right beside Paul's. The two nodded at one another. "Leaf Storm now!" They chorused. Both released their attacks at once and when the water hit the attacks this time, they destroyed the water.

*Meanwhile*

"Are you sure this is such a good idea? I mean, I totally agree we have to get them back for the embarrassment, but sneaking on their property? We could get arrested or at least fined for this." Trent asked their leader.

Jared nodded. "I agree. I'm not so sure this is a great idea."

"Listen you two, if we want to get Paul and his little boyfriend back, we have to work to do it. So I suggest you stop being so lazy and do as I say. We will find something embarrassing about them and use it against them, just you wait and see." Wayne said. The three then continued their walk towards the Harper property. The family owned a lot of land since Reggie was a breeder and needed the space. The three, were of course, walking up the property the back ways so no one would see them.

"I can't believe you still know this place like the back of your hand." Trent told Wayne.

"Yes well, I was here more than you two were. It was like a second home to me back in the day." Wayne explained. Jared was about to say something, but then they noticed the giant Blastoise. The three gasped.

"Is that a Blastoise!" Trent asked.

"It is! But it's giant!" Jared exclaimed.

"It's just a machine…but what in the world Paul's family was doing with a giant Blastoise machine is a mystery." Wayne told them.

That's when they noticed Paul and Ash battling the machine. Wayne ran forward while the two were distracted and hid behind a giant rock. He waved the other two over and they followed. They peaked from behind the rock and watched as the 'couple' battled it.

"Use Energy Ball now!" Ash yelled. His Toterra charged and release it's attack, hitting the water directly.

"Now use Earthquake!" Paul commanded. The Veilstone trainer's Toterra released it's attack and the whole robot shook from the force of the attack.

"Ahhh!" Team Rocket yelled as the machine shook from the Earthquake. Meowth then dropped a remote and both trainers noticed. The two nodded in sync and commanded their Pokemon.

"Double Leaf Storm!" The two trainers yelled in unison. Both Toterra released their attacks together and hit one of the hands each causing them to be destroyed, releasing Pikachu and Buizel.

"Pika!"

"Bui!"

Both the water and electric types landed on the ground and ran towards Ash.

"Hey that was totally unfair!" Meowth yelled.

"Yea!" Jessie and James agreed.

"Ready to finish this, Ash?" Paul questioned wearing a smirk.

"Oh yea." Ash answered with a smirk of his own.

"Toterra, use Giga Drain!" Paul commanded. Toterra did as it was told and the attack wrapped itself around the robot, holding it in place.

"Alright Toterra, now use your Rock Climb!" Ash yelled. Toterra grew out it's claws and the ground beneath the Blastoise rose above the ground and Toterra ran up it and hit it dead on, causing it to explode. Toterra landed beside Paul's Toterra and the two Pokemon nodded at one another. Team Rocket landed in front of Ash and Paul.

"Ouch, that hurt." James said.

"Very much so." Jessie replied rubbing her head.

"Ooh, too much pain." Meowth commented.

Ash and Paul stepped closer towards them and the three noticed the smirks they both had. "Uh-oh." They chorused.

"Uh-oh is right." Paul said.

Wayne, Jared, and Trent watched as Ash smirked as Charizard landed in front of him and Team Rocket gulped.

"He does have a Charizard!" Trent exclaimed in a whisper.

"And a powerful looking one too." Jared added.

"Hmm…yea." Wayne agreed.

"Charizard, Dragon Breath now!" Ash commanded. The dragon let out a roar and let out it's attack, making an explosion, causing Team Rocket to blast off. Charizard let out a victory growl as the other Pokemon also celebrated.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu exclaimed running into Ash's arms.

"Hey Buddy." Ash said nuzzling his electric mouse. Buizel, Toterra, and Charizard walked up to their trainer as well. Paul and his own Toterra went to the raven haired trainer after a moment too.

"Are they ok?" Paul asked Ash.

The raven haired trainer nodded. Ash then did something that surprised Paul to no end. The raven haired trainer ran up to him and hugged him. Paul's eyes widened as a blush covered his cheeks. "Thank you so much for helping my Pokemon, Paul." Ash said while smiling.

"Uh, no-no problem." Paul said wrapping his arms around the other trainer. He closed his eyes and sighed. He wanted to hold Ash for the rest of his life.

All too soon, the two broke the embrace. "We make a pretty good team, don't we?" Ash asked.

Paul chuckled. "Yes we do." Paul then gestured to Ash's Toterra. "Our Toterra do too." Ash nodded.

"We should enter another tag battle sometime and really show what strength is all about." Ash suggested.

"Tell me when and where." Paul replied. Ash laughed.

"So, what did you want to tell me?" Ash questioned.

"Hm? What?" Paul questioned.

"When we were on Charizard, you said you wanted tell me something." Ash told him with a chuckle.

'Crap, I almost told him my feelings…what do I say now?' Paul pondered. He then thought of something. "Oh, I just really wanted to say thank you." Paul told him.

Ash inwardly sighed. Then a thought crossed his mind. "Thank me for what?" Ash questioned.

"Doing this. Pretending to be my boyfriend to fool my parents so I don't have to move is not exactly something anyone is willing to do for me." Paul told his rival.

"Oh, well, no problem." Ash replied sheepishly. "I'm just glad I could help you."

"You've done more than just help."

Ash shrugged. "I'll take your word for it." Paul smiled at him.

"Come on, if there's one thing I've learned about you the past few days is that you're hungry all time. Let's eat something." Paul suggested.

"Sounds great. And I need to feed my Pokemon lunch too." Ash told his rival. Paul nodded.

"Sure, let's do that too. I need to feed mine as well." The Veilstone trainer nodded.

"You guys stay out here, we'll go get some food for you and everyone else." Ash said. The Pokemon nodded as Ash and Paul walked back inside the house. Both Toterra started talking as Buizel, Charizard, and Pikachu started to play some. None of the Pokemon, nor Ash and Paul, noticed the three old friends get up and sneak away.

"I thought you said you wanted some embarrassing information." Trent told Wayne.

"Yea, I thought that was the whole reason for us coming in the first place." Jared added.

Wayne smirked. "That was the reason. I just found out some MUCH better information instead." Jared and Trent looked at one another then shrugged and followed the oldest teen back into the city.

End Chapter.

Well ok, there is chapter 12. So yea, there should only be two chapters left and then an epilogue. And the next two chapters should be up sooner because I know exactly what I want to write about. I've had those two chapters in my head since the very beginning of the story so hopefully it shall be up much sooner than the last few chapters have been. And I'm off this weekend so I'll try and write both chapters at once even if I don't post them both at the same time. So yea, chapter 13 should be up this weekend so check back!

Oh by the way, could not think of a chapter name so bear with me on it lol


	13. The Beginning Of The End

Alright, I know it's late but I know everybody's waiting for this chapter so I'm going to write it tonight anyways. Sorry it's not been up sooner, with my new job and having to still do everything else, I haven't had as much time as I would have liked so yea. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. It's one of the ones I've just been waiting to write since the very beginning. And this will be one of the longest chapters I've written you all have more to read today…yay! Lol. Ok, so I'm going to finish this up and go then it's off to the bed for me….here is chapter 13

Favor For A Friend? 13: The Beginning of the End

"Ash, let's go already! We're late as it is!" Dawn exclaimed down the hallway of the Harper home.

"Calm down a little bit, Dawn. He was just able to get into the bathroom about 20 minutes ago." Brock told the hyper active coordinator.

"Yea, and the festival isn't going anywhere." Reggie added. Gary nodded in agreement.

It was now Saturday evening and the group of teens were all getting ready for the festival. Well, Ash was getting ready…everyone else was already dressed and ready to go in their kimonos. Dawn had on a light pink and yellow one, Brock had on an orange and dark green one, Reggie had on a navy blue one with some white, Gary had on a purple and black one, and Paul had on a black with some white. Dawn, of course, was more than ready to have some fun, so she paced as they waited for the raven haired trainer to finish up.

"Come on, Dawn, I know you're excited, we all are, but this is kind of ridiculous." Brock told her. She stuck out her tongue at the breeder. Reggie and Gary laughed lightly while Paul just rolled his eyes.

The mauve haired boy was currently sitting on the couch eagerly waiting for his secret crush. He stood up and walked to the window as the other four teens made conversation. He looked out into the backyard and saw everyone's Pokémon out there playing, including his own. He glanced at his and Ash's Torterra. Ever since the two paired up in battle the previous day, they had become inseparable. Paul found it kind of ironic. He shrugged. At first he didn't like it, but when Ash cooed at how 'cute' they were (who calls a Torterra cute anyways?) he decided it wasn't that bad. As long as it made Ash happy he was ok with it.

He then glanced over at Pikachu and Umbreon playing together. Paul felt his stomach tighten. He suddenly wished he had a Pokémon that would be perfect for Pikachu to play with so he wouldn't play with one of Gary's Pokémon…or at least, he'd play with both. He then turned his attention over to the four fire types who were all hanging around each other. Gary's Arcanine, Dawn's Cyndaquil, his own Magmortar, and Ash's Infernape and Charizard. He looked at the powerful dragon. He couldn't believe how strong that Pokémon was. When he watched that battle that Ash and Gary had yesterday, he could hardly believe his eyes.

*Flashback*

"Alright Ashy-boy, just because you beat me in the Silver Conference doesn't mean anything." Gary said taking his position across the raven haired trainer on the field in the backyard. Reggie, Dawn, and Paul all took seats in the chairs while Brock took his place as the referee. The rest of the Pokémon were all sitting around on the grass also planning on watching the two battle. Piplup jumped on Dawn's lap and Paul's eyes widened as Pikachu jumped onto his lap. Reggie noticed and silently chuckled at the expression on his little brother's face. Reggie, however, was surprised when Paul just relaxed against the chair and let Pikachu sit there. Paul noticed him looking at him.

"What?" He asked. Reggie shook his head with a smile and turned his attention back to the two Pallet trainers.

"I know that Gary, but we're still not losing." Ash told his longtime friend. Charizard let out an affirmative roar. Gary chuckled. He then threw a Pokeball and Blastoise came out. The rival Pokémon stared at one another.

"Alright, this one on one battle between Charizard and Blastoise has no time limit!" Brock called. "Begin!"

Gary smirked. "Hydro Pump now!" Blastoise quickly let out it's powerful water attack.

"In the air, Charizard!" Ash commanded. Paul watched in amazement at how fast the dragon was up in the air. The water attack missed it's mark and went straight past Ash.

"Hm…keeping using Hydro Pump, Blastoise!" Gary told his Pokémon. The tortoise Pokémon obliged.

"Keep dodging, Charizard!" Ash told his dragon.

Gary smirked. "What are you going to do this time, Ashy-boy? You can't melt the field around here." He teased his rival. Ash glared at the researcher. "You can't win a battle by dodging only, you know." The brunette said still wearing his smirk.

It was then Ash smirked. Gary noticed. "You're right, Gary, we can't." He then looked up at his dragon. "Fly straight towards it!" The dragon let out roar and flew straight down towards Blastoise.

"Is he crazy!" Paul exclaimed. "If that hits, Charizard's going to take a lot of damage!"

Reggie chuckled at his brother and how concerned he was for his rival and his rival's Pokémon.

"Don't tell me you're giving up already, Ashy-boy." The amber eyed boy glared. "Hydro Pump!" Blastoise aimed it's attack straight at the charging dragon.

Ash then smirked. "Man, it used to be so hard to predict you're moves, it's too bad you gave up training." Gary looked at him. "Charizard, now, block it with Steel Wing!" Charizard stopped in midair and put his now glowing wings in front of himself as a shield. The water attack hit his wings but Charizard just blew it off and flew straight down and hit Blastoise with his attack.

Everyone's eyes widened as Blastoise got hit to the ground. "See, Ash had a plan all along." Reggie told his brother. Paul nodded slightly.

Ash smirked as Gary was shocked. Gary then smirked himself as Blastoise stood back up after the attack. "Well, that was certainly impressive, but if you think we're done…use Flash Canon!" Gary told his water type. Blastoise finished standing up and let out it's attack towards the retreating fire type.

"Dragon Breath!" Ash commanded. Charizard quickly turned and used his own attack to block the other one. They collided in midair and caused an explosion.

"Water Pulse!"

"Dragon Rage!"

Once again the two attacks collided and caused another explosion, only this one was more powerful. "Steel Wing again, Charizard!" Ash called to his Pokémon. Charizard came straight through the smoke headed straight for Blastoise.

"We're not falling for that twice, use Gyro Ball!" Gary commanded. Blastoise went into his shell and the blue ring appeared around it and the water Pokémon headed straight for Charizard. The two Pokémon hit each other but it was clear that Charizard took more damage than Blastoise did. Both Pokémon were pushed back towards their respective trainers. "Blastoise, use Skull Bash!"

"Charizard, use Dragon Claw!" Ash told his dragon. As Blastoise came closer, Charizard's claws started glowing green and he hit the water Pokémon as it came closer. Once again, both Pokémon took damage and were pushed back. Ash then noticed Gary smirk.

"Ice Beam, let's go!" Everyone watched in amazement as Blastoise let out a quick and very powerful Ice Beam striking Charizard and freezing the whole dragon except his head and tail on contact.

"Ah, Charizard!" Ash cried out to his beloved friend. Reggie, Paul, Dawn, and Brock gasped simultaneously.

Gary smirked. As it looked right now, he had this battle. "Now, Hydro Canon!" Ash's eyes widened as Blastoise charged up it's most powerful water type attack.

'We are not losing…not while Paul watching.' Ash quickly thought. "Overheat, now!" Ash commanded to the fire type. Charizard's eyes shot open and he begin building heat in his body as Blastoise released his attack. Charizard's whole body started to glow as the ice quickly evaporated and the fire type busted out of the ice and flew up into the air right as the Hydro Canon hit the ground where Charizard was moments before. Charizard then released his most powerful fire type attack and hit the water Pokémon head on, causing Blastoise to cringe in pain as the fire attack did it's damage. Paul felt himself sigh in relief.

Emerald eyes widened. 'When did it learn Overheat?' He thought. "Blastoise, Whirlpool, let's go!" Gary called to his Pokémon.

"Stop it with Dragon Pulse!" As the Whirlpool came towards the dragon, he let out a powerful Dragon Pulse and the water was destroyed on contact.

"Gyro Ball again, Blastoise!"

"And we aren't falling for that one again!" Ash told Gary. "Stop it now!" Charizard let out a roar, held his ground, and caught Blastoise. Green eyes widened in panic. Gary knew what was coming. "Seismic Toss!" Charizard flew up in the air with the water Pokémon in tow and started spinning.

"Blastoise, Water Pulse and hurry!" Gary called to his partner.

"Don't let it, Charizard! Use Fire Spin!" Ash told his fire type.

Charizard quickly let out the Fire Spin before Blastoise could come out of his shell and use his water attack, surrounding both Pokémon in a giant flame wheel. Charizard came down and threw Blastoise on the ground. When the smoke cleared, Charizard was standing and Blastoise was not.

"Blastoise is unable to battle, Charizard wins!" Brock yelled.

"Alright, great job, Charizard! You were amazing!" Ash exclaimed happily. The dragon let out a roar, tackled his trainer playfully, and started licking Ash's face while the raven haired trainer laughed.

Gary shook his head with a smile as he walked up to his Pokémon. "Great job, Blastoise, you were awesome."

"Blast."

"Alright, what an awesome match!" Dawn yelled jumping up.

"Piplup!"

"Pikachu!"

"It really was, wasn't it, Paul?" Reggie asked his brother turning to look at the mauve haired boy. He sweatdropped when he saw Paul completely shocked at the way the battle went. Reggie then heard laughter. He turned to look at Charizard still licking his trainer, tickling him in the process. The breeder smiled.

Paul also glanced at the boy and his Pokémon. 'I can't believe how powerful Ash has trained that Pokémon. Just think of what Infernape will be like in a few years.' Paul thought.

*Present time*

And he still wondered how Ash did it. 'Maybe it has to do with the trust he has in his Pokémon.' Paul thought as he watched the Pokémon outside running around.

"Finally!" Dawn exclaimed as Ash walked into the room.

"Well geez, sorry I spent 20 minutes in getting ready while you spent over an hour." Ash said sarcastically.

Paul turned in time to see Dawn stick her tongue out at the trainer. Apparently she liked doing this action. He then looked over his rival and his eyes widened. Ash was in a white kimono with some black on it and saw Ash had actually combed his hair somewhat and it looked really good. Ash just completely looked really good.

"Alright, is everybody ready to go now?" Reggie asked. Everyone nodded and the group headed outside.

Gary pulled Brock to side a little bit and whispered to the breeder. "Isn't ironic how Ash and Paul are completely matching?" Brock turned his head to look at the rivals.

"Just a little." He said with a chuckle.

Ash walked up by Paul and smiled at him when the mauve haired boy looked at him. Paul turned his head to hide his blush. "Pikapi!" The teens looked as Pikachu jumped into Ash's arms.

"Hey Buddy, think you can handle the group for a while?" Ash asked.

"Pikachu!" The electric mouse stated proudly. Ash laughed.

"Alright, you take care of everybody, and be careful while we're gone, ok?" Pikachu nodded. Ash turned to the rest of the Pokémon. "You guys be good!" Every single Pokémon nodded to Ash.

'He can even get other people's Pokémon to listen to him…amazing.' Paul thought.

"Ok, ok, can we please go now?" Dawn asked excitedly. The group nodded and Pikachu jumped out of Ash's arms and ran back to his friends as the teens turned and walked out of the gate. Twenty minutes later, the group of friends were walking around between booths set up at the festival. "Wow! Look at all the little shops!" Dawn cried. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Look at all the food!" Ash exclaimed. Everyone looked at him. He noticed their stares. "What? You guys should know I have a food obsession." He told his friends. The others shook their heads at the crazy raven haired trainer.

The teens stopped at places to do a little shopping and then to get some food as they walked around and enjoyed themselves. After about an hour of walking around, the group passed a game booth with prizes on it. A certain prize caught Ash's attention and he stopped in his tracks to look at it. Paul, who was behind him, had to come to a sudden stop to avoid running into the other trainer. He was about to ask the Pallet trainer what he was doing but noticed his stare and followed his gaze to the prize Ash was staring at. He smirked when he noticed it was a Pikachu keychain.

"Why don't you try and win it?" Paul asked in his rival's ear. Ash jumped in surprised at Paul's voice.

"Oh, uh," Ash looked at the ring toss game. "I'm not exactly very hand-eye coordinated." Ash told his rival sheepishly. Paul arched his eyebrow.

"I see." Paul said thoughtfully. He then turned and walked up to the booth. Ash looked at him oddly.

"Paul, what are you-" Ash started.

"How many rings do I have to get over the bottles to get the Pikachu keychain?" He asked the woman in the booth.

"Just three." She said.

"Ok, then I'd like three rings, please." The woman handed him the rings with a smile since she saw and heard the conversation between the two.

*A little further down the road*

"Hey, where did Ash and Paul go?" Dawn asked as she turned around. The two breeders and researcher turned around as well and noticed the two's absence. They looked around and then Gary looked back and saw Ash a little ways back.

"They're back there." He told the others.

"What are they doing?" Brock questioned.

Reggie shrugged. "Let's find out." The four walked back towards them.

*At booth*

Ash watched in amazement as Paul played the game perfectly and got all three rings on the bottles. The woman chuckled and handed Paul the keychain. Paul nodded at her and smirked as he turned around and handed it to Ash. The raven haired trainer's face turned cherry red as Paul handed it to him. "You didn't have to do that." Ash told him shyly as he took the prize from his rival.

Paul shrugged. "I wanted to."

"Thank you." Ash said smiling still wearing his blush. Paul nodded.

The others walked up in time to see Paul hand Ash the prize and all smiled at one another. Dawn leaned into talk in hushed tones. "They make such an adorable couple!" The three boys nodded.

"Hey kids!" The six teens turned their attention towards the voice. They watched as Laura and Steve walked up to them. "Glad you kids made it." Steve said.

"We've been here for a while, we've just been walking around." Reggie told his parents.

"Well that's fine. Are you all enjoying yourselves?" Laura asked.

"Very much so." Dawn said smiling.

"Well we're glad." Laura said.

"Excuse me." The eight looked at the woman from the booth. "Sorry to interrupt, it's just, since you are the first person to win a prize for the night, and it's obvious you two are close, I wanted to give you two something." Ash and Paul looked at one another. The group watched as she pulled out a yin yang necklace. She then pulled the necklace apart and everyone noticed it was actually two necklaces. She handed the black one to Paul and the white one to Ash. The two looked at one another then looked away blushing. Gary, Reggie, and Brock fought laughter as Dawn and Laura cooed at how cute it was, and Steve chuckled. "I hope you two will wear these." She said with a smile and went back behind her booth.

"Aw, you two should wear them now, they match your outfits perfectly." Laura told the two boys. Both Ash and Paul, still wearing blushes, shrugged, and put the necklaces on.

"Alright, well, we'll talk to you kids later, alright?" Steve said. The six nodded. "Have fun and be careful!" He called as him and Laura walked away.

"Aw, you two now have matching necklaces, how sweet." Gary said teasingly.

"It's very cute, too." Reggie added. Ash and Paul glared at the two and Ash hit Gary on the arm while Paul hit Reggie on the arm.

"Ow, geez, no need for violence." Gary said rubbing his arm.

"Yea seriously." Reggie replied also rubbing his arm.

Ash and Paul rolled their eyes. Brock and Dawn snickered in the background. Dawn stopped and looked around. "Hey, I hear music!" She cried. "Let's go find out where it is!" She turned around and ran towards the sound.

"Dawn!" Brock, Gary, and Reggie chorused and took after her. Paul did a 'blah blah blah' face making Ash laugh.

"Come on, let's go too!" Ash exclaimed taking Paul by the hand and dragged him off as well, not noticing the blush on Paul's face get deeper when he did this.

The two found the other four standing by an open area where people were dancing. "Look at this! It's so amazing!" Dawn exclaimed starry eyed.

"Yea, it really kind of is." Gary said. The breeders nodded.

Dawn then noticed a very cute little booth with contest ball stickers. Her eyes widened as she squealed and ran towards it. The researcher and breeders sighed as they went to follow her. Paul thought Ash would drag him off there too but was surprised when he just saw Ash staring at the dancing couples. Paul looked between Ash and dance floor for a few moments. "Would you, uh," Ash looked at Paul. "You know," he said sort of gesturing to the dance floor. "Uh, like to dance?" He stuttered out embarrassedly. Pink found it's way to Ash's cheeks again.

"Um, I-I'd love to, but uh, I can't dance." Ash told Paul looking in another direction.

"I'm sure you're not that bad." He said with a chuckle.

"No, it's not that…I don't know how to."

"Oh." Paul then smirked. He grabbed Ash's hand and pulled him towards the dance area.

"What-what are you doing!" Ash inquired.

"Well," Paul said stopping on the edge of dance area. "You taught me how to skate when I didn't want to learn, so now it's only fair I get to teach you how to dance." Amber eyes widened in surprise. "Now come on, it's not hard." He pulled Ash close and put his hand on the raven haired boy's waist and took one hand in his own. "Put that hand on my shoulder."

Ash did as he was told. "Like this?" Ash questioned. Paul nodded.

"Now just follow me in my steps." Ash looked at his feet trying to follow Paul's. Paul took his hand off of Ash's waist and pushed Ash's chin to where he was looking straight at him. "It's easier if you just feel the beat and not look at your feet." Paul told him.

"Oh."

*Meanwhile*

"So, we'll have to get up early tomorrow to say goodbye to the kids and head back home." Laura told her husband.

"That we will." Steve replied. Laura was about to say something but was interrupted by another voice.

"Mr. and Mrs. Harper!" The two turned and saw Wayne, Jared, and Trent running up to them. The two parents glared at the trio.

"What do you boys want?" Laura asked angrily.

"We just wanted to give you some important information you may like to know." Wayne said with a smirk.

"There's no 'information' you boys would have that we would possibly 'like to know'." Steve told them. He put his arm around his wife's waist and turned them both around.

Wayne wasn't about to quit. "Even if it was about a son of yours and his 'supposed' boyfriend?" He asked them. The parents turned and noticed his smirk. Steve arched his eyebrow as Wayne, Jared, and Trent walked towards them.

*Back at the dance floor*

After a few minutes, Ash was really getting the hang of it. A new song then just came on. The two danced to that one as well.

Gary, Brock, Reggie, and Dawn watched the two from the sidelines. "Should we laugh at them and the irony of this song now, or wait until later?" Gary asked snickering.

Brock, Reggie, and Dawn also laughed. "Later, let them have their moment." Reggie answered.

_I don't know but, I think I maybe, fallin' for you, dropping so quickly. Maybe I should keep this to myself, wait until I, know you better._

_I am trying, not to tell you, but I want to, I'm scared at what you say, so I'm hiding, what I'm feeling, but I'm tired of holding this inside my head. _

_I've been spending all my time just thinking bout you, I don't know what to, I think I'm fallin' for you, I've been waiting all my life, and now I find you, I don't know what to, I think I'm fallin' for you._

Both Paul and Ash looked anywhere but each other as they listened to the song they were dancing to. Ash then got up the courage to lean into Paul and rest his head against the mauve haired boy's chest. Amethyst eyes widened as Ash did this and then he blushed as Ash wrapped his arms tighter around him. Paul decided to do the same.

_As I'm standing here and you hold my hand, pull me towards you, and we start to dance, all around us I see nobody, here in silence, it's just you and me._

_I am trying, not to tell you, but I want to, I'm scared at what you say, so I'm hiding, what I'm feeling, but I'm tired of holding this inside my head. _

_I've been spending all my time just thinking bout you, I don't know what to, I think I'm fallin' for you, I've been waiting all my life, and now I find you, I don't know what to, I think I'm fallin' for you._

Ash swore he had never felt so safe and comfortable in his life than he did right here, right now, in Paul's arms. He felt as if the Veilstone trainer would protect him at all costs and it felt great. Even though his heart was pounding, he closed his eyes and let out a small sigh.

Paul couldn't describe how he felt at this exact moment. Having Ash in his arms was amazing in of itself, but to have him lean against him willingly was even more wonderful. The fact Ash wanted to be this close to him was more amazing than anything else put together.

_Oh I just can't take it, my heart is racing, emotions keep spilling out._

_I've been spending all my time just thinking bout you, I don't know what to, I think I'm fallin' for you, I've been waiting all my life, and now I find you, I don't know what to, I think I'm fallin' for you. Fallin' for you…_

_I can't stop thinking bout it, I want you all around me, and now I just can't hide it, I'm fallin' for you. I can't stop thinking bout it, I want you all around me, and now I just can't hide it, I'm fallin' for you. I'm fallin' for you._

After the song ended, the two stopped dancing and separated. The two stared at one another for a few moments. "Well, now you know how to skate and I know how to dance." Ash said quietly.

Paul nodded. "Very true." He said barely above a whisper. The two leaned closer to each other, slowly closing their eyes and Paul was about to finish closing the gap between them when he heard his dad yelling for him. Both Ash and Paul stopped moving and sighed looking at ground. He turned to see both his parents on the side of the dance floor…both wearing glares.

Ash leaned a little towards him. "Why do they look mad?" Paul shrugged. He took Ash's hand and led towards his parents.

"Yes?" Paul questioned as they stopped in front them.

"You get home, and start packing right now." Steve told his son angrily.

Paul blinked. "What?"

"We know about your little cover up plan with Ash acting as your boyfriend so you wouldn't have to move." Laura told him also angrily. Amber and amethyst eyes widened.

"Mom, Dad, I-"

"Don't you 'Mom, and Dad' us. You're in enough trouble as it is." Steve told him.

Reggie, Gary, Brock, and Dawn walked up behind them. "Hey, what's going on?" Reggie asked his parents.

"Did you know about this?" Steve asked his eldest son.

"Uh, about what?"

"About your brother having a fake boyfriend." Laura answered. Reggie's eyes widened. Gary, Brock, and Dawn looked at one another panicked.

"Well-well, I uh,"

"You did, didn't you?" Steve stated more than questioned.

"Well-well, I just-"

"I'm not only disappointed in your brother, I'm disappointed in you as well for not telling us. This is completely unacceptable." Steve told his eldest. Before he could reply, Steve turned his attention to Ash. "I should have known you were too nice to be true." Steve told the Pallet trainer stepping closer to the boy. "Let me guess, you're an arrogant trainer who doesn't care about others and lies all time, huh?" Ash was too shocked and scared to say anything.

Paul glared at his father. He could say demeaning things to him, and he could say demeaning things to his brother, but he did NOT have a right to talk this way to Ash. He stepped between Ash and his father. "You're wrong." He told his dad. The man was obviously surprised that Paul would actually stand up to him. "Ash is the sweetest person in the world and cares about everyone. He thinks of himself last and everyone else first. I've come to know him as an amazing person and outstanding trainer."

Ash felt his eyes stinging a little bit at how Paul was standing up for him. Paul swallowed, knowing this would cause more trouble for him but if it would get Ash and his brother out of trouble, that's what really mattered. "He did this because I asked him to." Every one of the teen's eyes widened. "He's that kind of person that he would do something this major for when I have done nothing but been an asshole to him. His friends didn't agree to it but went along with because Ash asked them to. And Reggie went along with it because I told him I would tell the girl he liked some embarrassing information about him that would cause her to lose interest in him if he didn't. It was me. The whole thing was my doing." Paul told his parents.

Everyone was surprised Paul took the blame for everything. They just couldn't believe it. "Hm…" Steve said. He looked at Ash. "Fine, since it's late, you and your friends can go ahead and stay in the guest house tonight. And we'll be leaving tomorrow." He turned his attention back to his son. "Paul, get home and start packing." Paul looked like he wanted to argue, but both Steve and Laura gave him a horribly angry glare. "Now." Paul slightly nodded and started walking away from the group. "Reggie," The breeder looked at his father. "You'll be driving us to the airport tomorrow morning." The breeder slowly nodded.

"Now we have to make sure our son starts packing his bags. Goodnight." Laura said stalking off. Steve just turned away from the teens and left. Ash was about yell out to them but Reggie put his hand on Ash's shoulder to stop him. Ash turned his head and looked at the breeder and watched as he shook his head. Ash felt tears fill up his eyes and turned around quickly to cry into Gary's chest. The brunette wrapped his arms around him and held him close, rubbing his back, attempting to sooth him even though he knew it wouldn't work. Brock, Dawn, and Reggie looked on sadly.

*20 minutes later*

Paul slammed his door shut as he entered his room. He then punched the wall leaving a small dent in it. He then angrily took a pillow off his bed and threw it at his desk. When he did this, he knocked over Ash's backpack that was sitting on it and caused it fall on the ground and his belongings to come out of the bag and scatter on the floor. Paul's eyes widened and then he sighed.

He went and sat on the ground and starting putting things back into the backpack. 'I was so close to telling Ash AGAIN….and now, now I'll never get the chance to.' Paul thought sadly. "Forget about telling him…I'll never see him again…" he said aloud. He paused in his task and thought about the raven haired boy. How he was so willing to help him and everything else Paul just fell in love with over the course of this past week. 'I'd rather have him than my stupid parents…it's just, would he want me? He seemed to want to kiss me too, but that could have just been the spur of the moment thing.' Paul thought as he started putting stuff back into the backpack.

He paused again when he noticed the thing he was about to grab off the floor. He put the bag on the ground and picked up the items. It was both Soothe Bells that they won in the Hearthome Tag Battle tied together. 'He kept them…he really kept them.' Paul then thought of something. He stood up and went to his desk taking out a piece of paper and a pen. He sat down in his chair and started writing.

*Hour later*

A knock came at Paul's door. He looked up as it opened and Reggie walked in. "Hey." He greeted his younger brother.

"Hey." He replied looking back down at the suitcase he was filling.

"How's it going?" Reggie asked.

"How do you think?" He asked his brother sarcastically.

"I'm sorry."

"I know."

"Why did you stand up for me?"

"Because there's no sense in both of getting into trouble." Paul said grabbing a jacket, folding it, and putting into the suitcase.

"Well, you didn't have to."

"I know."

"Thank you." Reggie said. Paul nodded. "I'll come back in few minutes but I came in here to get Ash's backpack." Paul looked at it sitting on his desk. Reggie walked over and grabbed it. "You know he's been crying." Paul looked at his older brother.

"What?" He questioned.

"Ash? He's been crying over you having to leave. He fell asleep crying actually. Gary had to carry him back here. I think they went to go put him in a bed." Reggie explained.

"He…cried over me?"

"He cares a lot more about you than you think." Paul looked down at his suitcase. "I'll be right back, I'm going to go give this to them." Reggie told his brother. Paul nodded and watched as he walked out.

Reggie walked out of the house and went to the guest house. He walked in and saw Brock and Dawn talking. The two looked at him as he entered. "Hey."

"How's he doing?" Brock asked.

"Not good. Him having to move will cause him to become closed up again. And this time I'm not sure he'll ever open up again after this." Reggie told them. "How's Ash?"

"Gary's putting him to bed. I have never seen him cry so much before." Brock told him.

"I seriously hate my parents right now." Reggie said putting Ash's backpack on the table.

"In all honesty, so do I." The three turned and saw Gary walking back into the room.

"He in bed?" Dawn asked.

Gary nodded. "Yea, I didn't get his kimono off of him though. I don't want to wake him and have him cry even more." The three nodded in agreement.

"Well, I'll see ya'll tomorrow. It's probably best if you guys wait until they leave to come out." Reggie told the trio. They all nodded. "I'll drive them and then come back and let you guys know."

"Ok, we'll pack up our stuff tonight." Brock told him.

"Don't. You guys are more than welcome to stay until the Sinnoh League. Mom and Dad won't be here so it doesn't really matter. Besides, I think Ash will need a steady place to stay for little bit." The three nodded.

"We just don't want to get you into trouble." Gary said.

"You won't, I promise."

"Ok."

"Alright, well, see you guys tomorrow. I'm going to go help Paul." They said they're goodnights and Reggie left.

"Come on, let's go to sleep too." Brock said. Gary and Dawn agreed.

*Next morning*

Amber eyes slowly opened. Ash then heard a car door slam and he remember the night before. He sat straight up in bed and caught the Pikachu that would have fallen onto the ground otherwise. "Pikachu…"

"Sorry Pal." Ash then heard another car door slam and he jumped up and went to look out the window and saw Steve and Laura packing up the van. He then noticed Paul putting a bag into the back and walking to get in. Ash's eyes widened and he turned and ran straight out the door.

Brock, Gary, and Dawn were sitting around the living area not really talking just doing quiet tasks. The three jumped in surprise when Ash came running out of the room and out the front door. Ash opened the door and ran out stopping on the steps. He watched as Steve and Laura got in the van along with Reggie. He noticed Paul had already gotten in. He had to watch as they started the vehicle and drive off towards the airport. 'He's gone…he's really gone.' Ash thought as they disappeared out of view.

End Chapter

Ok, wow, longest chapter yet lol. Ok, so I'm not setting anytime I will get the next chapter up because it doesn't ever seem to go the way I plan so I will have it up as soon as I can. How about that? Anyways, I'm tired and so I'm going to sleep now…hope you all don't kill me for ending the chapter this way!


	14. Feelings Uncovered

Ok, this is it. The official ending of the story! I will do an epilogue so check back for it soon. After I finish writing this, I am going to go to bed…and quickly…mucho tired and I must work tomorrow…and catch the second part of Ash and Paul's battle! YAY! VERY EXCITED! Lol. Anyways, here you guys go! Last official chapter!

Favor For A Friend? 14: Feelings Uncovered

Gary, Brock, and Dawn looked between each other as Ash ran outside. Gary jumped up followed by the other two and ran towards the door. He opened it and saw Ash watching as the family drove out of sight. Gary looked at his best friend knowing he was thoroughly depressed. He put his hand on the raven haired trainer's shoulder to try and comfort him but the moment his hand made contact with the other's body, Ash quickly turned, hiding his face, and ran inside the house. Brock and Dawn had to react fast to move out of the boy's way as he ran between them, down the hall, and back into the room, slamming the door behind him.

"What are we going to do?" Dawn asked. Brock shrugged.

"There's nothing we can do." Gary answered closing the door behind him.

"I wish there was a way to help him." Brock said.

"Me too, Brock, me too." The researcher added.

*In room*

Pikachu watched as Ash ran into the room, tears streaming down his face, and slamming the door then leaning against it. "Pikapi…"

Ash ran straight for the bed, and not paying attention, tripped over his backpack, scattering things all over the floor. He jumped on the bed and buried his face into the pillows while letting the tears fall. Pikachu came up and nuzzled his trainer in a comforting way. Ash turned and held the electric mouse close. "It's not fair." Ash told his partner between sobs. "They didn't even see what a great trainer he is. He's so amazing, all he was, was hurt. He was just hiding. It's not his fault."

"Pika…Pikapi…Chu, chu pika." The electric type said trying to calm his trainer.

"He didn't deserve it, Pikachu, he didn't deserve it at all!" Ash exclaimed crying even harder.

"Chu…" Pikachu knew it was futile. His trainer cared so much about the other boy and he knew his trainer would never be whole again without him. Not now, not after he had fallen for him.

"I wish I could do something…anything…I feel so worthless…" Ash said between hiccups.

"Pikapi! Chu! Chu, pika pika!" The electric mouse argued. He didn't care what happened, his trainer was NOT worthless. He was the greatest person in the world.

Ash looked at Pikachu with tears in his eyes. He knew there was no sense in arguing with the electric mouse. Pikachu was as stubborn as he himself was. He then noticed the mess on the floor caused by him tripping over his backpack. To give him something to do, he slid off the bed, onto the floor, and started packing his stuff. He grabbed each item without any care in the world and just threw it into the bag. He then grabbed the Soothe Bells without noticing and just when he was about to open his hand over the mouth of his backpack, he noticed something else. He flipped his hand and let the Soothe Bells shine in his palm. He then saw where the two were tied together, there was a folded up piece of paper with his name on it. He slowly unknotted the bow and took the paper out to look at it. His widened when he opened it. 'It's a letter from Paul!' He thought.

_Dear Ash,_

_Wow, I haven't written a letter to anyone in years…I don't know how to even begin. This past week…I'll tell you it's been the best week of my life. I never thought I could I feel happiness again…not after my friends betrayed me…but you showed me otherwise. _

_You alone showed me I didn't need them. You helped me realize I wouldn't be able to live my whole life holding a grudge and hiding. I have to tell you, when I first met you I thought you were like everyone else. Judgmental, selfish, and well…pretty annoying. All of that changed this week. I saw the real you…I got to know the real you, and for that, I'm so glad. Even if the end didn't result in the way I wanted it to, I'm so thankful that all of this happened because I got to know you._

_Remember what you told me while we were on Charizard? How things have many different perspectives and ways to look at them? I know that's the truth. I never knew what an amazing person you were until I got a different look. After everything I've done to you, I thought for sure you'd just want me gone as fast as possible. It blew my mind you actually wanted to help me. And thank you for that. I can't believe you did all this for me. For someone who has done nothing but been a total and complete asshole to you. I don't deserve to have a friend like you but I'm so thankful I do…that is…if I can call you that. I know you're my friend and I hope after this past week you're able to call me one too._

_I know I haven't made it easy this past year for you and for that, I am truly sorry. If I could take it back, I most certainly would…in a heartbeat. You've completely changed me, Ash. You've changed everything about me. You've opened my eyes and made me feel again. I had become numb and you were one who was able to get through that and make me actually start having emotions again. I had forgotten what it felt like. You make me feel lots of things actually…I have to tell you this Ash…something I've been trying to tell you for days…all you've done for me…everything…you made me fall for you. _

_You're the most amazing and wonderful person to have ever lived and I love you for that. I love you for so many reasons…I just can't stand not being around you. I don't know how I'm going to make it without you in Tokyo…and I'm sure you noticed…I was so jealous of Gary. He has such a great history with you and you two know each other back and forth…I wish you and I could have had a close relationship like that…I know that's just a fairytale though. I'll be gone before you read this and I doubt my parents will ever allow me to leave…I do hope to move back here one day…and maybe we could be friends then. I sure hope so…I like the fact you give me hope for happiness. It gives me something to live for. And you give me something to strive and wish for. _

_Just know, that no matter what happens in your life, I love you and I always will. I wish all the best for you and know that I'm cheering for you and you alone in the Sinnoh League. I know you'll win it. You're a great trainer…with great Pokémon and wonderful friends…never let them go, trust me. It's not worth it to live alone. Be safe and I hope to see you again someday._

_ Love always,  
Paul_

_P.S. I want you to take Torterra. Yours and mine seem to be getting along great and I know you'll take wonderful care of him. Please take him. And if any of my other Pokémon would like to, I'm telling them to let you have them as well. And I will tell Reggie this too. I know they'll be in great hands if you have them and I won't ever have to worry about them. Thank you again for everything._

Ash had fresh new tears streaming down his face by the time he finished reading the letter. He couldn't believe it. Paul loved him…he really loved him. The person he loved, loved him back. Ash felt his heart explode with happiness and then it sank again. He realized he'd never be with him. He was probably on a plane right now…'Wait a sec.' Ash thought. 'They only left a little while ago…' He looked at the clock on the night stand by the bed. 'Maybe…' Ash jumped up with the letter in his mouth, stripped out of his kimono, threw his under shirt and jeans on, and also grabbed his vest. He was about to grab his hat and gloves but quickly realized he'd have to dig in his backpack for them. 'I don't have time.' He thought. He ran towards the door and threw it open. Pikachu quickly followed.

"Yea, maybe…I'm still not sure it would work." He heard Gary say.

"Gary!" Ash called running down the hallway, slipping on his vest. The three in the living area looked up in surprise as he stopped in the hallway.

"Ash? What's up?" Gary asked standing up.

"Where are my tennis shoes?" He asked frantically between clenched teeth as he zipped up his vest.

Gary blinked. "They're by the door…why?" The researcher answered walking up to his friend. Ash shoved the letter into his hands and ran towards the door. "What?" Green eyes widened as the piece of paper was pushed into his hands. He opened it.

"Ash, what's going on?" Brock questioned.

"Yea Ash." Dawn added.

Ash pulled on his shoes. "I'm not letting them take Paul…not without one hell of fight. They're not taking him if I have anything to say about it." Ash told his friends as he threw the front door open. Brock and Dawn looked at each other and when they looked back, Ash had already run out the door with Pikachu at his feet.

"Ash!" The two exclaimed following him.

"Charizard, I need you to fly me to the airport and quickly!" Ash exclaimed to his dragon. The fire type nodded and let Ash board him.

"Ash, his parents are going to get so mad at you!" Dawn cried.

"I don't care." Ash told his friends as Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder. "I will do everything in my power to stop this disaster from taking place. I don't care what his stupid parents do to me, they won't take Paul away from me if I have anything to say about it!" He turned to his dragon. "Let's go, Charizard, now!" He commanded. His friends watched as Charizard took off into the sky and head towards the city.

"I don't get it, he was so down and just ready to give up not even an hour ago…what changed?" Dawn asked. Brock shrugged.

"This changed." The breeder and coordinator turned towards the researcher.

"What changed?" Brock questioned as they walked up to him. Gary handed him the letter and Dawn also leaned over and read it. The two gasped when they came to the conclusion.

"Oh my gosh, no wonder." Dawn said.

"I can't believe it. After all they've been through." Brock said.

"Love works in mysterious ways." Gary added with a shrug.

*Meanwhile*

"Thanks Charizard." Ash told his dragon as he jumped off his back when they landed in front of the airport. "Pikachu, stay out here with Charizard!" Ash called as he took off towards the entrance.

"Pika…"

*Inside*

"Now Reggie, make sure and send us the rest of Paul's stuff later." Steve told his eldest. Reggie glanced at his little brother who was looking at his feet, looking terribly defeated. The breeder slowly nodded.

"And let us know how things go with the Breeder's Convention." Laura added. "We know you'll make us proud like you always do."

"Um, sure…" Reggie replied. He knew Paul hated this every second it continued.

"Yes, we know you won't disappoint us like some other people." Steve said, all of them knowing whom he was speaking of. Reggie sighed but nodded. "Well we should head for the plane before everyone else does." He walked up and hugged his eldest. "See you soon." He told him. Reggie nodded again.

Laura then walked up to give him a hug and kiss goodbye. "Take care, Sweetie." She told him.

"Sure Mom…"

Reggie then turned to his little brother. He walked towards him and put a hand on his shoulder. Paul looked up at him and received a small, sad smile. Surprising everyone, Paul walked forward and gave the breeder a hug. This would be the last time he'd see his brother. Well, at least, in his world anyways. Reggie instantly embraced his little brother back and rubbed his back affectionately. "I'll come see you soon." The breeder told the trainer. Paul once again looked up at him. "And no worries, I'll ask him about taking your Pokémon for you." Paul nodded giving him a thankful glance. Reggie side smiled.

"Paul, let's go." Steve said with a harshness in it. The mauve haired boy sighed and turned around. "See you later, son." Reggie nodded at both his parents and watched as they walked towards the gate and let out a depressing sigh.

'I'm not going to cry.' Paul thought. 'Not for them…they don't deserve it.' Paul then thought he heard someone call his name. He didn't think it was real and so shrugged it off continuing to walk. 'Why can't I just let it go?' He thought.

"Paul!" Paul glanced up. OK, now he was sure someone was calling for him. He quickly turned and dropped his jaw at what he saw. Ash was pushing through people, yelling for him.

"Ash?" He questioned more to himself than the actual person. The Veilstone trainer didn't notice his parents and Reggie had turned to see the Pallet trainer as well. Everyone watched at Ash ran straight into Paul's arms, clinging to the younger boy with all his might. Paul instantly dropped the bags he was carrying and wrapped his arms around the other. "What are you doing here?" He whispered in the raven haired boy's ear.

"I'm not letting them take you." Ash whispered back. Paul just buried his face into Ash's neck, his grip around the boy's waist tightening.

After a few moments, Steve broke the silence. "Alright, alright, you've said your goodbyes, now let's go."

Ash looked at the parents and glared at them. He pulled out of the embrace and ran in front of Paul, holding his arms out protectively. "You're not taking him." Ash told the man.

Steve looked like he had just been slapped. "Excuse me!"

"I said you're not taking him." Ash repeated still glaring at the man. "He lied because he had to…because he can't be honest with you. You don't even give him a chance before you say he has to move."

"We did give him a chance, we let him stay to improve his training…he didn't follow through." Laura said.

"You haven't even seen him battle!" Ash exclaimed.

"There's no need to." Steve told him.

"Yes there is!" The Pallet trainer cried. "You say I have such an amazing reputation…that I'm a great trainer."

"You do and you are." Laura responded.

"Yea well, I haven't beaten your son once in battle. Not once. And he's beaten me plenty of times. If I'm such a great trainer, than your son is ten times better than I am." Ash told the parents. This statement obviously surprised the parents. Paul was also shocked to see Ash standing up for him like this.

"Yes, but, you've only been training this team for a year." Steve said trying to reason as to why.

"Yea, and the Pokémon Paul uses against me, he's had for only a year as well. I've seen him catch some of the Pokémon he has. Don't try and come up with excuses. Your son is an amazing trainer and an outstanding person." Violet eyes widened as Ash stood up for him. "I don't care if you can't see, everyone else can. And yea, he hides behind a mask because he's afraid of getting hurt, I do too. Everyone does when they've been hurt like Paul has. Don't you dare blame him for that. You know you'd do the same thing." Ash told Steve and Laura angrily.

"A mask is one thing but being pathetic is another." Steve argued. He was also pissed off this kid was embarrassing him. He really didn't think his son was pathetic but he was not about to be shown up by this teenager.

"Don't you dare say things like that about him!" Ash yelled at the man. "He's amazing…much better than you are!"

Steve had to fight to control his anger. "Why the hell do you care anyways? After everything he did and said to you and your friends…your Pokémon? After all the teasing and taunting…torturing…Why the hell do you care?"

"Because I love him!" Ash yelled back angrily. Four sets of eyes widened at the statement. Ash breathed a little harder. "Because I love him." He then slowly turned towards Paul and shrugged. "I love you." He told the mauve haired boy with a small smile. He watched as amethyst eyes filled with tears.

Paul rushed forward and grabbed the older teen, holding him extremely tight. "I love you, too." Paul told him while gripping him even tighter. "I love you, too." Ash closed his eyes and sighed as he snuggled up against the other trainer.

Reggie stood there in shock and looked between the couple and his parents. He then forced a laugh, making his parents look at him. "Ironic isn't it? Faking being in love then falling in love for real? Haha, pretty cool, neh?" He asked with a shrug. Instantly, Laura could see that this really was real, and even though Steve could see they cared about one another still wasn't convinced.

"And how in the world are we supposed to know this time is real?" He asked sourly. Paul and Ash slowly pulled apart with smiles on both they're faces. Without taking his eyes away from Ash, he answered his father.

"Because, I'm not afraid to do this in public." Before anyone could even think what 'this' was, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to Ash's, pulling the boy closer to him by his waist. Ash instantly closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around the other's neck and let his hands roam into Paul's mauve locks. The family gasped, only resulting in Ash smiling even more into the kiss.

When two parted, they rested their foreheads together, both wearing huge smiles, and staring into each other's eyes. Ash then watched as Paul's expression changed to be more serious. "I'm not going." Paul said. He then looked at his parents. "I'm not going with you." He told them. His father looked shocked at him. "I don't care what you do. You can take away the inheritance, you can disown me; I don't give a crap. I'm not leaving Ash." He then turned and looked at the raven haired boy. "I finally found the one thing I need…the only thing I need," He then looked at his parents again. "And I'm sure as hell not giving it up." He tightened his grip around Ash's waist and Ash rested his head against Paul's shoulder.

Steve couldn't believe it. His son was actually willing to give up everything for this boy? He was willing to sacrifice it all? Realization suddenly dawned on him. He remembered way back when he was just a teenager. He had sacrificed everything for Laura. His dream, his job…everything…because he loved her. And now, Paul was willing to give it all up because he loved Ash. There was no use in denying it now. He sighed in defeat. "You really love him?" He asked his son, not that he really needed an answer.

"Yes." Paul answered confidently. "More than anything." Steve sighed again and shook his head.

"Alright then, there's only one thing to say." He looked at Ash. "You had better take good care of him. He's our son and we love him just like you do." Ash smiled and nodded.

"I will, I promise." Ash told him while squeezing Paul a little bit.

Steve nodded and then looked at his son. "And you'd better take care of him." He told him while gesturing to Ash. "I don't think you'll find another one like him."

"How can I?" Paul asked. "He's one of kind." Ash blushed but snuggled up to the Veilstone trainer. At that moment, Paul swore his life was perfect. As long as he had Ash with him, he knew he could make it through anything.

"Now boarding flight 2010 to Tokyo." The speaker announced above them.

"Well, that's us." Laura said. Ash felt Paul's grip tighten around his waist. "Alright, Paul, stay here with your boyfriend but you had better not cause any trouble." She told him. Paul didn't think he'd caused any trouble but nodded anyways.

Steve sighed. "Well, see you sometime." He told his sons. The two nodded. "Good luck in the Sinnoh League…both of you." He said to both Paul and Ash.

"Thanks." Ash replied.

"We'll send your bags back later." He then added to Paul.

"Ok."

"Shall we?" Steve then asked his wife.

"We shall." She joked. The two turned around and went towards the gate. The three watched as they disappeared into the crowd. Ash and Paul then looked at one another and smiled. Paul kissed Ash again right then and there, and the raven haired trainer responded eagerly. Reggie had to laugh at the two. When the they broke the kiss they looked at the breeder.

"What?" Paul questioned.

"You two. It's just funny." They glanced at one another. "After being such die hard rivals, this will most certainly be a change for you guys." Reggie told them.

Ash shrugged. "Oh well, if there's one thing that's certain in life it's change will occur." He then looked at the mauve haired boy. "And I certainly like this change."

Paul smiled at him. "Me too." He leaned in and rubbed his nose against the other's, making Ash let out a cute little laugh.

"Well, shall we go home then?" Reggie asked. The two nodded. Ash bent down and took one of Paul's bags and Reggie got the other one.

"You know, I can carry my own stuff, right?" Paul asked, his personality shining through.

Ash chuckled. "Yes, but then I wouldn't be able to do this." He took the other boy's hand in his own. Paul blushed but squeezed Ash's hand in response. Reggie just couldn't help but smile at the couple as they walked towards the exit.

"So, are you two going to say this is your first official day of being together, or last Monday when you two set up this whole ordeal?" Paul glared at his brother but Ash laughed. "What? It's a valid question. In a few months you'll want to know the exact date you two got together for celebrating anniversaries and things."

"He does have a point you know." Ash told the Veilstone trainer.

Before Paul could respond, Reggie beat him to it. "Though, you know, I guess technically you're not really together until one of you asks the other out."

Paul glared at him again. "Fine." He said. He turned to Ash. "Will you go out with me, Ash?" Ash chuckled but nodded. "There, happy?" He asked his brother. Reggie nodded, laughing at his brother on the inside. This was just too fun.

When the three walked outside, Pikachu ran up to them with Charizard behind him. Paul and Reggie were surprised to see them there. Ash noticed the looks and chuckled. "You didn't think I ran all the way did ya? I never would have made it here in time."

"Valid point." Reggie said.

"Pika pika!" Before Paul knew what happened, Pikachu jumped into his arms and nuzzled him.

"Uh…" Paul's face became a light pink.

Ash laughed. "I'm pretty sure Pikachu is happy you're still here."

"Oh? And why's that?" Paul questioned.

Ash shrugged. "Probably because he knows I won't cry for you anymore."

Paul looked at him surprised. "You-you really cried for me?"

"Well yea…I thought I'd never see you again." Ash told him shyly while snuggling up to his side. Paul felt his heart skip a couple of beats.

Reggie chuckled at the couple. "You two are simply adorable, you know that?" Paul shot him a light glare but Ash just laughed.

"Thanks for the compliment, Reggie." Ash told the breeder. Paul gave him a side 'are you insane' glance, but Ash decided not to pay attention to it. Pikachu, who was still in Paul's arms, then perked his ears up. "What's up, Buddy?" His trainer asked.

Pikachu quickly jumped into Ash's arms as a small voice sounded behind the trio and the two Pokémon. "Pichu, Pichu!" The trio turned just in time for a Pichu to jump into Paul's arms and start nuzzling him.

"What the!" The mauve haired boy exclaimed. Both Ash and Reggie looked at one another, thinking the same thing…where the heck did this Pichu come from?

"Paul!" The trio looked up the voice and saw an older blonde hair and blue eyes walking up them.

"Travis?" Paul questioned disbelievingly. He looked down at the Pichu in arms and couldn't hold back a smile. "Oh, Pichu! It's been a while." He told the mouse.

"Chu!" She cried.

"How are you!" Travis questioned with a smile as he walked up to the group.

"I'm-" He looked at Ash. "Well, I'm perfect." He answered. Ash lightly blushed.

"Good to hear! I can't believe it's been so long since we've seen you." Travis told him.

"Pichu, Pi!" Paul glanced down at the tiny mouse. He scratched the electric type under the chin. Reggie and Ash looked at one another shocked. He actually gave affection to this Pichu.

"Yea, it has been a while."

"Very much so. How's your journey going?" Travis asked the Veilstone trainer.

"Good. Waiting for the Sinnoh League to start." Paul told him.

"Awesome. You'll do great. I bet you'll win."

"He'll have to beat me." Ash said. He covered his mouth quickly, not really meaning to say anything. He just couldn't help it. Paul may be his boyfriend, but he was still his rival as well and Ash wanted to beat him.

Paul chuckled at his boyfriend's expression. "Beat him? So you're a trainer entering as well?"

"Uh yea." Ash said sheepishly.

"Sorry, Travis. This is Ash. He's my rival and boyfriend." Paul introduced.

Travis blinked. "Boyfriend?"

"That's right." Reggie answered. "It's actually funny how they got together too."

"Oh really, Reggie? And how's that?" Travis asked.

"Oh please don't go into now." Paul pleaded. "We just lived it." Ash laughed.

"Well, why don't you tell me while we catch up?" Travis asked.

"Catch up?" Ash questioned.

"Right, I guess I didn't mention that Travis and Reggie pretty much grew up together. They left the same day on their journeys and were rivals for a while. That's the reason Travis would always let me play with this Pichu." Paul explained to his boyfriend, gesturing to the mouse in his arms who was still rubbing up against his chest. Ash pouted while watching the mouse; Paul noticed. "What?"

"Totally unfair." Ash mumbled. The other three looked at one another. Reggie then smirked.

"Are you getting jealous of a Pokémon, Ash?" He asked the trainer.

Ash flushed and Paul smirked. Ash then stuck his tongue out at the younger trainer. "And I'm the younger one?" He asked teasingly. Ash gave him a glare.

The others laughed. "Well, Paul, why don't you give me the bags and I'll put them in the car. You and Ash can ride back home on Charizard and I'll bring your stuff back after Travis and I catch up some." Reggie told his little brother.

"Sure." Paul answered. He looked at the mouse in his arms and then sighed. He really wanted some time with Ash but he also wanted to be with this Pichu. "Travis, will you be staying in the city for a while?" Paul questioned.

"No, after I go eat lunch with your brother, I'm dropping by my house to get my stuff and then I'll be heading back to Mount Cornet to train." The blonde answered. Paul sighed and Ash noticed. "So I guess I should give this to you now." Paul looked at him and watched as Travis pulled out a Pokeball and placed it in one of Paul's hand.

"What?"

"It's Pichu's. You'll need it to return her." Travis told the trainer.

"Wait, you're giving Paul, Pichu?" Ash questioned.

"Of course. That was my plan was all along. I just didn't see him before he left town on his first day of training. It's why I didn't train her and why she's been at my house with my mom and sister while I travel and train. I was hoping to run into Paul eventually and give her to him. She absolutely adores him and has wanted to be with him." Travis explained.

Paul looked surprised. He glanced down at her. "Pichu!" She chirped. Paul then looked at Ash. The raven haired boy shrugged, then smiled. Paul smiled back.

"Pika, Pika!" Pikachu cried jumping from Ash's arms onto the ground.

"Pichu!" Pichu jumped from Paul's arms and joined Pikachu. The two then started to play.

"Well, what do you know? You have a perfect Pokémon for Pikachu to play with now, Paul." Reggie told him. The mauve haired boy subconsciously nodded while watching the two.

"Well, just take good care of her for me." Travis told Paul.

He looked at him. "I will. Thank you." Paul replied. He couldn't believe Travis gave her to him. And he thought he was perfect a few minutes ago. He now had his boyfriend, family, and the one Pokémon he had always wanted to be close to. His life couldn't get any better.

"Shall we go get some lunch?" Travis asked the breeder.

"Sure, I'll drive." He picked up Paul's bags and they started to leave.

"It was nice to meet you, Ash. Take good care of Paul for me." Travis said to the trainer jokingly. Paul rolled his eyes as Ash laughed.

"I will, I promise." He told the blonde with a smile. He nodded.

"Let's go." Reggie said. "I'll see you two back at the house." They nodded and then watched as the older teens walked away.

Ash looked at Paul. "So, tell me you're happy now."

Amethyst eyes met amber ones. "Of course I am. I have my family, my Pokémon, and most importantly," He said wrapping an arm around Ash's waist, pulling the raven haired trainer into an embrace. "I have you."

"Yes you do." Ash said before closing the gap between them. When the broke apart, Ash rested his head against Paul's chest and the mauve haired boy rested his chin on top of Ash's head. The two stood there for a few minutes until the Pokémon broke the silence. They looked at Pichu chasing Pikachu around Charizard playfully. Ash and Paul both had to laugh at the cute scene.

"Come on," Paul said bending down and picking up Pichu as she ran past. "Let's go home." Ash nodded as Pikachu jumped on his shoulder.

"Charizard, think you can get us home?" The dragon snorted, saying 'duh'. Ash chuckled as the dragon leaned down and he jumped on his back. Paul followed and sat behind him. He wrapped one arm around the waist of his boyfriend as they took off. Ten minutes later, they were landing in the backyard.

*Inside*

"I wonder what's happening." Dawn said as she was sewing a new outfit for Piplup to wear. Brock was reading a book as Gary worked on his laptop.

"Dunno. We'll just have to wait and find out later." Brock told her.

"Pip! Piplup!" The three looked at where Piplup was jumping up and down excitedly by the window.

"What is it, Piplup?" Dawn asked as the three stood up. She glanced out the window and saw Charizard. "Oh he's back!" She exclaimed to the boys. "Ash is back!" Brock and Gary followed her to the door and stopped right behind her on the front porch, shocked at what they saw. Ash and Paul were playfully rolling on the ground and both of them were laughing. The three then noticed the Pichu playing with Pikachu.

"I guess Ash was successful in his quest to save Paul." Gary said jokingly.

"Guess so. Where'd the Pichu come from?" Brock asked. Gary shrugged.

"Oh my gosh!" Dawn exclaimed. The two looked from each other to the coordinator.

"What is it?" Brock inquired. She pointed to the yard. The breeder and researcher followed the pointing and saw Paul leaning over Ash, kissing him very passionately.

"Well, it's not technically a surprise." Gary said with a laugh.

"Isn't that the truth?" Brock replied. Dawn nodded.

"Hey happy couple!" Gary yelled. Paul and Ash broke their kiss and looked in the direction of the voice. "Before you two get totally lost in a make out session," The two blushed. "Where'd the Pichu come from?"

"She's mine." Paul told the researcher. The three on the porch looked at one another oddly but then shrugged. When they looked back, Ash and Paul were walking towards them hand-in-hand. "So I guess Ash's mission to stop you from leaving was a complete success." Gary told the Veilstone trainer.

"That it was." He replied.

"What did your parents say?" Brock asked.

Paul shrugged. "There was a slight argument but I told them I didn't care what they said, that I was staying with Ash."

"That was after I told him…er, them, I had feelings for him." Ash told them.

"Well yea, if I had known I never would have even packed." Paul told his boyfriend.

"So, how did your parents figure it out anyways? We certainly didn't say anything…" Dawn asked.

"Yea, how did they?" Ash questioned.

"Wayne, Trent, and Jared." He answered. "Reggie had asked them this morning."

"What? How did they know?" Gary asked.

"They apparently snuck onto our property and spied on us." Paul said. "No worries though. Mom and Dad took the information and told the police that they were trespassing." Paul explained.

"Were they arrested?" Brock questioned.

"No. Mom and Dad didn't want them arrested but they aren't able to go anywhere right now. They're parents are pissed so they aren't able to leave on their journey right now." The Veilstone trainer replied.

"Awesome." Dawn said. Paul nodded.

"Pika, Pikachu!" The teens turned to look at the electric mice running around.

"So, when did you get Pichu?" Gary asked his best friend's rival.

"I can explain it but we may want to sit down." Paul told him. The breeder, researcher, and coordinator nodded and the group of teens walked inside.

*Five hours later*

Reggie had gotten home soon after Ash and Paul and had helped explain everything that had happened. Reggie and Brock were now in the kitchen making supper, while Gary was working on his laptop again and Dawn was also working on the outfit again. Paul was sitting on the couch watching a movie with Ash curled up right next to him, his head resting on the mauve haired boy's chest. Pikachu was literally curled around Pichu on the back of the couch sleeping with smaller mouse. Dawn had cooed at how 'Pokémon and trainer were so alike' since the two electric types seemed to have a little relationship of their own going on.

Dawn was sitting there thinking about the week that had just gone by. "I still can't believe it." She said loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Believe what?" Brock asked from the kitchen.

"That all this happened this week. I mean really, who would have guessed that you two would have ended up together?" She said the last part to the couple on the couch. They glanced at one another and then shrugged.

"Life is mysterious." Paul told her.

"Yea but wow." She replied. "I can't believe it mainly because Ash actually said yes to helping you." She told the mauve haired boy.

"True. Why did you help me?" Paul asked him. Everybody looked at him wondering the same thing.

Ash shrugged and smiled. "Just call it a favor for a friend." Paul chuckled and then bent down to press his lips to his boyfriend's.

END!

Omg I'm so freaking tired…time for sleep! I can't believe I actually, finally finished it…wow. It feels so weird for it to actually be finished…though like I said, I am doing an epilogue. I will post it probably sometime next week or so. Although, I'm thinking of doing a sequel. What's everybody think? Should I? I don't want to ruin this story by making another one but I do kind of want to make one. I have an idea for some chapters in it...Let me know what you guys think. If I should or shouldn't do a sequel. Anyways, good night! Finally!


	15. Epilogue

So, I have a feeling you all want to kill me for making you guys wait so long for the epilogue, I do apologize. I don't really have any excuses for not getting up. I just got busy with starting college and having to work as well. The past few weeks have also made me realize that I won't be able to write as much as often, but I will still write. I can't stop even if I tried…so I will be putting up more Comashipping stories as time goes by. I actually have one I'm working on right now. I don't think it will take me much longer since I've been writing in class while I'm actually supposed to be taking notes…-_-; oh well lol. Ok, so here is the epilogue…finally lol.

Favor For A Friend? Epilogue

"Come on already! We're late as it is!" Paul heard his boyfriend yell at him. The boy was running ahead of him, eager to get to their destination. Paul had tried keeping up with energetic trainer, but the raven haired boy had much more stamina than he did and got ahead of him. Paul had to stop at the top of a hill to catch his breath. He leaned down resting his hands on his knees.

"How the heck does he have so much energy!" Paul panted out. He looked at his feet and saw that Pikachu was also tired of running. Paul looked ahead and saw that Pichu was with Ash ahead of them. Paul sighed. "Guess you and I both have insanely energetic mates, huh?"

"Pika, pika." The electric mouse nodded.

"Paul!" The mauve haired boy looked up and saw Ash, with Pichu at his feet, running up to him. "What are you doing? We have to get there and fast!" Ash exclaimed.

"Sorry, I just don't have the stamina you do." The Veilstone trainer told his boyfriend.

Ash sighed. "You could at least jog or something."

"Pichu, Pi." The tiny mouse agreed.

"What's the rush anyways? She knows we're coming and she knows about Team Rocket. It's their fault we're late." Paul said.

"I know that but she doesn't know that. She'll worry. She always does." Ash told his boyfriend. Paul sighed. He looked down from the hill and saw the small town below him. He closed his eyes. "What's wrong?" Ash asked wrapping his arms around Paul's middle.

Paul subconsciously wrapped his own arms around Ash's waist. "It's just, what if your mom doesn't like me?" The Sinnoh League had ended two weeks ago and after all the goodbye's were said between Ash and his friends, as Gary was staying in Sinnoh for research, Dawn was heading to another region, Brock was going to stay in Sinnoh for a job offer, and Reggie was going back to Veilstone, the two headed back to Kanto to Pallet Town before they went out on a journey of their own. And now he was about to meet his boyfriend's mother. A very overprotective mother from what Gary had told him. He swore he had never been so nervous in all his life. He loved Ash with all his heart and he was afraid if his mother didn't like him then Ash would also see that it was a mistake to be with him. He just couldn't lose the one thing that him feel so alive. He just couldn't live without Ash now.

"What are you talking about?" Ash questioned. "Mom will love you! Besides, she'll just be happy that I'm happy." The raven haired trainer told his boyfriend happily.

"Yea?"

"Yea! You have nothing to worry about. Mom loves all of my friends and she'll be so excited that I have a boyfriend now. She always talked to me about finding that 'special someone' while traveling and now I get to tell her I finally did!" Ash exclaimed with a huge smile on his face.

Paul couldn't help but smile at him. Ash's happiness and smiles were so contagious and Paul found himself smiling more than ever these days. "Alright, but promise me something?"

"Anything."

"Promise me you won't leave me if she doesn't like me." Paul told him.

Ash cocked his head to the side. "Is that what you're really worried about?" He asked.

"Well, I just…I was so mean to you before and I'm afraid you will figure this out one day and-" He was cut off by Ash kissing him.

"Paul, I don't care. I love you and I'm not leaving you ever." Ash reassured his boyfriend with a smile. He then rubbed his nose against Paul's. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you and that won't ever change."

Paul felt his heart skip a couple of beats. He then grabbed Ash and pulled him extremely close. Ash chuckled but snuggled into the embrace, burying his face in Paul's chest. The mauve haired boy sighed. 'I can't believe I got so lucky.' He thought to himself.

"Pikapi." The two broke apart and looked down at the electric mouse couple at their feet. "Chu, pikachu."

Ash's eyes widened. "That's right!" He exclaimed. He grabbed Paul's hand and started dragging him down the hill towards his home town. "Mom's still waiting for us!" Paul almost tripped at Ash's sudden movement but quickly recovered and ran along with his boyfriend, the two electric mice at his feet.

Fifteen minutes later the couple was outside of Ash's home. Paul quickly caught his breath and then looked at Ash's house. He couldn't help but smile. Ash caught the smile. "What?"

"It just seems..." He looked at Ash. "Just like you." Ash smiled at him.

"Come on, let's go." He said pulling Paul inside the gate. Ash opened the front door and Pikachu and Pichu ran inside. Ash then lead Paul inside and the mauve haired boy looked around.

'It's so homey. A place that seems someone like Ash would grow up in.' Paul thought.

"Well someone's late." Paul looked towards the voice and saw a brown haired woman with equally brown eyes, wearing a smile, standing in the doorway of what he assumed as the kitchen.

"Mom!" Ash exclaimed running towards her and engulfing her in a hug.

"Hi Sweetie." She said hugging her son back. "How was your trip?" She asked as they separated.

"Great!" Ash exclaimed. "I have so much to tell you."

"Well, why don't you start with why you're so late today?" She replied with a laugh.

"Oh, uh…ha." Ash said with a sheepish grin and blush.

"Let me guess, Team Rocket?" She questioned.

"Always." He answered with a shrug. She giggled.

"Pika, pika!" She looked down.

"Hi Pikachu!" She exclaimed. She then noticed the Pichu standing right next to him. "Oh? And who is this little guy?" She asked kneeling down.

Ash laughed. "Actually, she's a girl, Mom. She's Pikachu's mate." He told her.

"Aw, how sweet!" Pichu nuzzled Pikachu and Pikachu licked her cheek. "That's so cute." She told her son.

"I know right?" Ash asked. She stood back up and looked at her son. She then noticed Paul standing in the doorway.

"And you must be Ash's friend he mentioned." She said to the Veilstone trainer. Paul nodded and walked forward.

"Hi Mrs. Ketchum." He said respectively.

"Oh please, just call me Delia." She told him. Paul nodded. Gosh, he was nervous.

"Mom, this is Paul." Ash introduced. The two shook hands.

"Well it's very nice to meet you, Paul."

"You too." Paul replied.

"So, Ash hasn't mentioned much about you, how long have you two been friends?" She asked. Paul blushed, as did Ash.

"Actually, Mom," She looked at her son and noticed the blush on his cheeks. "Paul's my boyfriend." He told her with a smile.

"Boyfriend?" She questioned. He nodded. Delia glanced at Paul. He gulped. "Well that's certainly a change. How long have you two been together?"

"Almost three months." Paul answered uncertainly. He wasn't sure how she'd take the news of her son dating someone she'd never met for a certain length of time.

"Well isn't that adorable!" Delia exclaimed. Paul felt himself let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. "You must tell me everything! I want to know how you two met, where your first date was, what your first kiss was like," she added with a wink at her son.

"Mom!" Ash exclaimed completely embarrassed. Oh he should have known she was going to do or say something like this. He then noticed his boyfriend snickering. Ash threw Paul a glare. The mauve haired boy just smiled innocently at him while Delia giggled.

"Well, we must talk over dinner. I have made your favorites Ash and I-" She was cut off by him running into the kitchen. Both Delia and Paul blinked at the entrance.

"Ready to eat when you are!" Ash called from the table. Both Delia and Paul sighed.

"He does love to eat." Delia said.

"Very true. Before I knew him, I didn't think one person could devour as much food as he does in one sitting." Paul replied.

"It's how he's always been." Delia said.

"I believe it." Paul said with a chuckle. She smiled at him and the two walked in the kitchen to join the raven haired trainer.

*Four hours later*

Paul stared up at the bed above him. He couldn't explain it, but he absolutely loved Ash's room. Of course, Ash was very embarrassed by it because it apparently hasn't changed since he was like eight, but Paul just loved it. It had that sense of childhood he never really experienced. Since his father wasn't really there and his mother wasn't very interactive in his life, he never had that normal childhood that his boyfriend did. Of course, Ash didn't believe him when he said he loved the room but that was ok, he could understand why the raven haired trainer's room would embarrass him.

Paul then looked at his feet and saw Pikachu and Pichu curled up together. Delia had told him that the two Pokemon matched him and Ash perfectly. Paul agreed but there was one minor difference in their relationship. It seemed as if Ash, even though he's older, preferred to let the Veilstone trainer be in control. Not that Paul minded of course, but he was surprised. He thought with how competitive they've been, Ash would use the whole 'I'm older than you' gig to make himself more dominant, but Ash was shockingly very laid back. It really did surprise the younger boy. Another thing that wasn't expected was that Ash barely made any decisions without him or his input and opinion on the matter. It made Paul feel very wanted and that was something he rarely had ever felt. The fact Ash wanted him just as much as he wanted Ash, it was a new sensation and to him it would never get old.

"Someone's ready for bed early tonight." Paul turned his head to see Ash walking into the room with pajama pants and a T-shirt on, wearing a smile. Paul smirked.

"Well yea, I'm pretty beat." He said as Ash closed his bedroom door. "I have a boyfriend that made me run over half the day."

Ash flushed. "We were late…"

Paul chuckled. Ash then pulled back the covers and cuddled next to his boyfriend in the bed. Ash rested his head on Paul's chest and sighed. "Do tell me, why do you like my chest so much?"

"It's comfy." Ash mumbled. Paul arched his eyebrow but said nothing. He then started running his fingers through Ash's hair. Ash then smirked. "And why don't you tell me why you like my hair so much? You run your fingers through it every chance you get. You even take my hat off sometimes. I seriously think you may have an obsession with it."

"It might be because I do." Paul replied. "Your hair is amazingly soft and smooth. When you originally look at it, your first impression is that it wouldn't be so the fact it's unexpected attracts me to it I guess."

Ash looked up at Paul. "You're so weird." He told him with a smile.

"Looks whose talking 'I-can-eat-five-helpings-in-one-sitting.' I don't know how you don't get fat." The Veilstone trainer joked.

"I have a very high metabolism. And I'm sorry, I love my mom's cooking, okay?"

"I wasn't saying anything against it. Your mom's cooking is wonderful. I just find it funny you can eat so much."

Ash shrugged and snuggled back into Paul's side. Paul smiled and closed his eyes. "I guess I should learn how to cook though."

"You know that I can cook, right?" Paul asked, his eyes still closed.

"Yea, but when we get married I doubt that you'll want to cook every night." Ash told him. Amethyst eyes shot open.

"Ash?"

"Yea?"

"You're not even seventeen yet, I just turned fifteen, and you're already thinking of marriage?" He inquired.

"Well, yea, why not?" Ash asked innocently.

Paul chuckled. "You don't think we're a little young for that?"

"Well yea, right now we are. I'm talking about when we get to be in our twenties and stuff. We could get married then."

Paul felt his heart skip a few beats. "You think we'll still be together?"

Ash looked at him. "Of course! I'm not ever going to break up with you and I won't let you break up with me so we'll be together for the rest of our lives." Ash told him with a wink.

Paul chuckled. "Well I'm ok with that."

"I kinda figured as much." Ash told him grinning. Paul rolled his eyes, still smiling at Ash. "There's only one thing I'm not looking forward to with the wedding."

"Oh? And what's that?"

"My mom will go crazy with trying to plan it out." Ash replied.

"So? Let her plan it." Paul said like it was no big deal.

"Paul!" Ash exclaimed.

"What?" He asked confusedly.

"Did you ever stop to think maybe I wanted to plan my own wedding?" Paul opened his mouth to reply but Ash spoke too soon. "And you have to have some input too. I mean really, it's going to be our day right?"

"Ok, sorry, I didn't know it was so important to you." Paul told him sincerely.

"It should be important to you too." Ash said quietly, looking away from him.

So THAT was the issue. Paul smiled when he realized this. "It is important to me, Ash. But to me, it's not really the whole wedding that's vital." He then tilted Ash's chin to where he would be looking at him. "What's important to me is that after, I'll be spending the rest of my life with you, no questions asked. That's what I really care about."

Paul watched as Ash's face just lit up and he knew he just made his boyfriend very happy; especially when the raven haired boy squeezed him almost making it to where he couldn't breathe. He just hugged Ash back. "So um, since it's going to be 'our day', we get to have the say in what happens, right?" Paul asked.

"Um, yea…" Ash replied not quite sure where this was going yet.

"Ok, good." Paul said closing his eyes again. "I say I shouldn't have to invite my parents."

Paul's eyes shot open when Ash hit him. "We will be inviting your parents, Paul." He told him.

"Why?"

"Because they're your parents and they'll wanna be there."

"I highly doubt that. They don't really care all that much."

"They are not that bad, Paul." Ash told him.

"Oh yes, I forgot, it was my OTHER parents who almost forced me to move to another city, thousands of miles away." Paul responded.

"You are way too sarcastic." Ash told him. The Veilstone trainer shrugged. "And you should be thankful they almost made you move." Paul gave him an incredulous look. "Do you honestly think we'd be together if they hadn't?"

Paul opened his mouth to reply but shut it abruptly knowing his boyfriend was right. "Well, whatever." Paul said closing his eyes again. "Though, I guess my mom would probably want to help plan the wedding too, huh?"

"Probably…" Ash mumbled. "Your mom and my mom can help but I'm still planning most of it." Ash told the mauve haired boy.

"I believe it." Paul replied. A thought then crossed his mind. He opened one eye. "You're saying all of this because you already have stuff planned, don't you?" Ash's eyes shifted back and forth for a second and then he smiled at him. Paul chuckled and rolled his eyes at him. "You're insane."

"It's why you love me." Ash said confidently.

"I suppose." Paul said. Ash lightly hit him and Paul laughed closing his eyes once more. After a few moments, Paul felt his boyfriends stare. "What?" He questioned. Silence. Paul opened his eyes and looked down at Ash. He looked in the deep amber eyes and then sighed. "Alright, tell me what you have planned."

Ash instantly smiled and sat up right on the bed, crossing his legs. "Ok, so since both of us like cooler weather, I thought having a fall wedding would be best you know? And it's always really beautiful with all the fall colors and everything." Paul nodded. "And I figured we could have it outside, though I'm not sure if we should have it here in Pallet, or in Veilstone. I had always imagined having it here, but if you want us to have in Sinnoh that's cool, too."

Paul just laid back and listened to his boyfriend ramble on. He wasn't sure planning out a wedding years before it would happen would be very effective, but if it made Ash happy, well then, Paul figured he could deal with it. And sure, he may have only been fifteen but that didn't mean he wasn't sure what he wanted. He knew Ash was the only one he could ever be with, so knowing he'd want to get married to the raven haired trainer one day, he didn't object to listening to his boyfriend talk about their future together. He was quite happy right now and he never wanted to lose this feeling. And sure they were only dating for three months so far, but he agreed with Ash. There was no way the two would ever end their relationship so knowing ahead of time what they wanted to do, well he didn't have a problem with that.

"Paul? Are you listening?" Ash questioned.

"Of course, carnations are better than roses, I got it." Paul said with a small smile and a shake of his head. Ash smiled and continued. Truly, Paul couldn't wait to live his life with Ash. He was looking forward to it.

END…again lol.

Ok, so there was the epilogue. Um, I don't know how well it turned out but I hope you all liked it. And again, sorry I can't write as much with college and everything, -_-; I'm going to be busy. Oh, and yes, I will start a sequel to this story. If it looks like it won't be good or will ruin this story then I will not keep writing it, but I will start it and see what people think. And it shouldn't be as long as this story was. Oh and thank you all for having my back when the guy reposted my other. I really do appreciate it. And I hope you all enjoyed my story…I know I enjoyed writing it. It's actually kind of sad it's over but I have more stories to look forward too, so I shall be writing. Until then :D ~Ashluver


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